


Like Unto a God

by Megane



Series: Children of a Higher Power [1]
Category: Final Fantasy II, Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy XII, Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Arguing, Astral Projection, Being Lost, Bitterness, Civil War, Confessions, Conflicted Emotions, Corrupted Powers, Corruption, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Destruction, Devotion, Disguise, Divination, Dreamsharing, Drug Use, Friendship, Gods, Guest Stars, Implied Relationships, Loss of Control, Loss of Powers, M/M, Magic, Magical Items, Mixed Inspiration, Multi, Multiple Crossovers, Mystery, Mythology References, Nightmares, Other, Personality Swap, Polyamory, Possession, Possible Polyamory, Prompto is Good with Children, Prophetic Dreams, Prophetic Visions, Realm Hopping, Religious Imagery & Symbolism, Riddles, Romance, Search and Rescue, Soul Bond, Spiritual, Telepathic Bond, Telepathy, Things are Not as They Might Seem to Be, Transformation, True Forms, Unexpected Visitors, Vessels, Visions, War Era, With A Twist, forced transformation, in-fighting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-27
Updated: 2016-12-15
Packaged: 2018-08-27 08:45:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 66,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8395099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Megane/pseuds/Megane
Summary: They were summoned for a reason. After a year of being separated and searching for one another, Prompto, Ignis, and Gladio just have one final piece to find: Noctis. Once they're together, they'll have to discover the reason they were summoned and what the meaning behind their strange visions is.





	1. Follow the Leads

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like, every year around this time, I come up with some huge project that needs some massive undertaking. There's a possibility that this will be finished before the actual game comes out. There are a lot of inspirations poured into this one. It's a mix of old real world religion as well as various beliefs all over the FF universes.
> 
> Regardless, I'm really excited for what I have in store. Thanks as always for supporting my outlandish stories. I think my motivation really picked up with [Roles in Friendship](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3614007), and I don't plan on stopping any time soon. (And this is my sixteenth FF15 fic! How fortuitous!)
> 
> As always, please enjoy!
> 
> -
> 
>  **[2018 update]** If you're reading this still or if you're just coming across this for the first time, I hope you enjoy! I'm actually cleaning this story up _a lot_. It's August 15th right now, and chapter one already took a couple of days to complete. I hope you enjoy everything and be sure to follow my progress on [Pillowfort!](https://pillowfort.io/Megane)

Early mornings in the spiritual commune of Dethrel were beautiful and calm. Prompto found that today was no exception to the peaceful rule. Prompto stood at the top of the stone steps with two hands over his eyes to block out the Sun. The water pouring down the fountain looked crisp and irresistible in the sunlight. The flowers and trees all throughout the commune were picturesque. Well-dressed oblates and villagers walked around the square, happily chatting with each other. Most of them were dressed in pure white or in pale, monochromatic colours. His eyes flicked between everyone’s face before sighing softly through his nose.

      _‘Maybe he’s just not out yet,’_ he thought to himself before dropping his arms. Prompto headed down the stairs towards the fountain. He sucked in a breath as he hopped up onto the circular exterior of the fountain. He rocked up onto the toes of his left foot with his arms outstretched. His body slowly relaxed as he let out a steady exhale. In the silence, someone laughed off to his right side. Prompto glanced over, seeing a couple of people looking his way and smiling.

     “Just get my morning exercise!” he said with gusto.

     “Don’t mind us,” one of the oblates said.

Prompto grinned, and the duo continued on past him. Laughter carried them to their next destination. Bangles and other jewelry chimed softly into the distance, signifying the two were gone on their way. Prompto padded his way across the flat exterior of the fountain. He looked down at the pool of water just under his feet. The reflection and ripple of the sunlight in the water was mesmerising. It filled Prompto with some nostalgic sense of peace.

     “Aah… I love it here.” He brought his hands up again to cover his eyes and began looking around the square again. Nothing much had changed from this vantage point, but maybe Ignis would spot him in the middle before Prompto saw him. Prompto scanned the area in silence for a few moments, taking in the sunlight on his skin. He walked around the fountain aimlessly. On his second pass around, he finally found who he was looking for!

     “Ignis!” Prompto raised one of his hands from his eyes and waved it in the air. Ignis glanced around at the call of his name, but once his eyes found Prompto, he raised his hand slightly in acknowledgement. He approached, and Prompto couldn’t help but notice how _sharp_ Ignis looked today.

His half-rimmed glasses were set low on his straight nose. His tunic was a rich, deep blue colour with a white-grey trim. It fell to about his knees, and the first two fasteners were undone, revealing Ignis’ colour bones. His pants were the same white-grey as his trim and flowed gently with every step Ignis took. On his left ear, he had a series of ear cuffs, and a opaque blue crystal hung from his earlobe. The crystal glimmered in the sunlight, casting fractals of colour along Ignis’ shoulder and collarbone. By comparison, Prompto felt _severely_ underdressed in his plain white robes, but he still let out a sharp whistle when Ignis came closer.

     “Looking good, Iggy,” he said, switching his weight onto his left foot. “What’s the occasion?”

“No occasion, really,” Ignis said, idly running a hand over his stomach. “Had a meeting with one of the clerics and just felt it was… appropriate.”

     “Mhm.” Prompto gave him an up and down look. But before he could say anything, Ignis asked,

     “What brings you?”

     “I was looking for you. And Gladio actually.” Prompto placed his hands on his lower back. “Found one of you, so that’s not _half_ bad, right?”

     Prompto saw Ignis _start_ to roll his eyes, but Ignis closed them instead with a faint smile. “Not at all,” he said, trying to hide the humour in his voice. “Unfortunately, I’m not sure where he is.”

     “Yeah, could be anywhere.” Prompto began half-heartedly looking around. “It’s still early too. Not too many people out to ask any questions.”

     Ignis hummed in agreement. He then quirked his fingers for Prompto to follow him. Prompto hopped down from the fountain barrier and came to Ignis’ side. “While we wait,” Ignis continued, “I might as well take this opportunity to change.”

     “Aww!” Prompto leaned back to stare at Ignis’ jewelry, but then he curved around to his friend’s left side. He reached up to gently flick at the iridescent crystal. “But you look so nice. You sure you don’t want to show off?”

     Ignis huffed a laugh, but he quietly brought up a hand to push away Prompto’s. “I believe we get enough attention as is with you around.”

     “What’s that supposed to mean?” Prompto asked quickly.

     Ignis lifted his chin slightly and began walking a little faster. Prompto swore he saw a smug smile forming. “Just that you’re very energetic. You and Gladio bounce well off each other.”

     “As if you don’t have your moments.” Prompto walked faster to keep pace with his companion. “Maybe not energetic, but you’ve definitely got some attention grabbing snark in you.” He hip checked Ignis, who finally cracked and chuckled.

     “So I do,” he agreed amiably.

Side by side, the two climbed the massive stairs leading up to another building. The floors were polished marble while the walls were smooth stone. Sunlight flowed in front the open archways, and the marbled floor was alight. Prompto squinted at the glare.

     “Did you get a chance to eavesdrop on any prayers while you were in the Inner Chambers?” Prompto teased as he looked up towards Ignis.

     “No prayers of visions. No gossip this time amongst the newly devoted, but as you said, it’s still early in the morning. Those who were already praying were those stuck in their routines, and so they’ve had nothing spiritually new to say.”

     “Damn.” Prompto sighed heavily. “Guess you’ll need new people to spy on.”

Without a word, Ignis sharply hip checked Prompto. The surprise attack was enough to make the blond stumble. Prompto let out a noise of surprise and indignation. When he looked up, he watched as Ignis folded an arm behind his back and used his other hand to calmly push up his glasses. Prompto huffed through his nose and went to catch up with Ignis.

It was more of a _poke-and-run_ than it was catching up. Prompto let out an excited laugh when he felt Ignis make a quick grab for him and miss.

     “So close!” he yelled. When he looked over his shoulder, Ignis was much closer than he expected. Prompto started in place, and for Ignis, that was enough of a victory.

As they walked in silence, Prompto briefly thought of all the places Gladio could have gone. Unfortunately, he really didn’t have a clue. It wasn’t as if the big guy mentioned any plans the night before. Something new must have come up. Prompto’s eyes widened slightly. Maybe he got a new clue. _‘Maybe,’_ his heart whispered hopefully. He brought a hand over his chest and sighed quietly to calm himself down.

They took a synchronised right, passing through an open archway towards their sleeping quarters. It was a hall with four doorways. Each had dark red curtains drawn back, opening up to each room. At the very end of the hall was a glass paneled door, which led to Prompto’s _favourite_ room: the sauna. Because their ‘Exalted Chambers’ were near the front of the commune, the three of them had discussed moving, but one of the features that kept them where they were was the sauna. In Prompto’s opinion, it was worth it.

Ignis reached up to take out his ear jewelry. Prompto saluted.

     “Fare thee well, rare crystal. I hardly knew ye.”

     “Come off it,” Ignis muttered playfully as he led Prompto towards his room.

Prompto immediately headed towards Ignis’ bed and sat down. He kicked off sandals before crossing his legs on the mattress.

     “Have you had any strange or prophetic dreams lately, Prompto?” Ignis asked as he walked over towards the mirror.

     Prompto shook his head slowly. “Just the same ones unfortunately. Every now and again, I’ll get this flash of Noctis and then the same instance of mythril and shining white gems. And it’s hard to tell what those gems are.”

     “And unfortunately, the folk here don’t know much about mining or gems. No real leads in that regard.”

     “We could always head into town again. See what someone knows.”

     “That’s what I was hoping.” Ignis carefully stored away his jewelry before reaching up to undo the remaining toggles of his tunic. He walked off to his right towards his wardrobe. “The merchants and traders should be in town soon if they aren’t there already. I’m sure we’ll find a mineralogist or a lapidarist when we visit.”

     “I hope so!” Prompto placed his hands on his crossed legs and leaned back. He stared up at the ceiling with a frown. “I can’t believe it’s been a year already…”

     “I know…” Ignis looked over his shoulder slightly. “But we’ll find him.”

     Prompto sat up straight and looked at Ignis. “We’ll find him,” he repeated.

Ignis focused his attention on dressing again, and Prompto just quietly looked around his room. He began wracking his mind, trying to retrace any significance in his dreams. Unfortunately for him, there wasn’t much to remember. Everything felt insignificant and important at the same time. It was as if his mind was struggling to focus on or conjure up details. Every dream was vague and unhelpful. But there _had_ to be a clue in all of this. There had to be.

     Prompto bit his lip anxiously. _‘But we haven’t given up yet. We_ won’t _give up_ ,’ he thought, and that brought him some iota of peace. Just as his posture began to relax, he felt a familiar presence nearby. Even Ignis turned slowly towards his bedroom door.

     “Gladio’s here,” he said.

     “Mhm! Wonder where he went!”

Prompto kicked out his feet and then hopped from Ignis’ bed. He hurried over towards the doorway, placed his hands on the sides, and leaned out to peer down the hall. He didn’t see Gladio yet, but once again, he felt the wash of his friend’s presence wash over him. Prompto closed his eyes and mentally reached out.

 _“Looking for me?”_ Gladio replied immediately, his voice easygoing and rough. Well, that was a good sign, right? He seemed at ease.

_“Just wonderin’ what was taking you so long. You missed Ignis’ fancy get up.”_

_“I’m sure I’ll see it again. It is Iggy after all.”_

_“True, true.”_

The warmth drew closer, and Prompto opened his eyes. It wasn’t long before he saw Gladio round the corner. He stood up straight and crossed his arms.

     “Well, well, look who it is.”

     “You two didn’t miss me too much, did you?” Gladio teased as he walked up to and then passed Prompto.

     Ignis was in the middle of smoothing out his clothes. “Hm, it was more of an idle curiosity. No need to sound the alarms.”

     “Aww, I’m hurt.” Gladio grinned, and Prompto followed him into the room.

     “So,” he began, “where _did_ you go?”

     “Went to go check on a lead, and before you get your hopes up, it was a dead end.” There was a brief silence, and it felt as if they all shared the same unspoken thought: _Of course_. “But since I was in the area, I went to go visit Luna.”

     “Hm! You were all the way out in Tenebrae?”

     “It was a really promising lead. _I_ couldn’t find anything, but I left the information with Luna. She said that she’ll help as much as she’s able.” Gladio stopped near Ignis’ bed.

     Ignis looked at himself in the mirror. “How is Luna?”

     “She’s doing well. A little strung out dealing with her own things, but she always seems happy to know that we’re safe. She asked how you two were doing, of course. Told her you were fine. Sleepy, busy. The usual.” Gladio looked over towards Prompto. “She said that there are no mythril mines in Tenebrae like the one you described.”

     Prompto sighed heavily. “Guess we can cross that off the list too, huh?”

     “We still have one option,” Ignis chimed in. “There’s the market in Bafsk.”

     “S’about that time, huh?” Gladio drawled. “At least this is a consistent avenue to go down.”

     “So long as they have traders, there’s no reason to give up,” Prompto stated, gently and absentmindedly tapping his finger against his forearm.

The others looked at him but gave their hums and gestures of agreement.

     “If only we had more allies in this domain,” Ignis muttered to himself. He raised his left hand up towards his mouth and tapped under his chin with his thumb.

     Prompto and Gladio spoke at once: “Then it’d be too easy.”

     They looked to each other and shared a smile. Gladio sighed and placed his hands on his hips. Just as he was about to say something, he cut himself off and dipped into his pockets.

     “Right. Almost forgot. Luna wanted me to give you too something.”

He pulled out two shell shaped compacts. One was ruby red and the other was wine purple. Gladio extended the wine purple one out to Prompto, who took his immediately. He tilted the compact this way and that, admiring the faint rainbow coloured sheen that appeared over its surface. With an idle extension of his will, Prompto channeled his energy into the compact. It opened with the softest of _clicks_. Just as Prompto was about to fully open it, he saw a vision of Luna turning towards him.  She looked surprised almost, but then her image relaxed. Prompto felt a faint chill cup over his right arm, and then the vision of Luna was gone. _‘Looking pretty as always, Luna,’_ he complimented in his mind as he pulled the compact completely open. The trapped aroma inside wafted up to Prompto’s nose, and he immediately felt weak with delight. The pressed powder smelled of honey and was hinted with the chill of cold air in his nose. There was another underlying scent that he was unable to place.

It was so hard to come across phoenix powder here. Prompto was never sure how much he missed it until he had it in his hands. If he had time, he’d take a hit, but he needed to focus.

     Gladio said, “I would’ve taken you two with me, but you were asleep, Prom, and Ignis was in the Inner Chambers.”

     “How’d you get to Tenebrae anyway?” Prompto asked, unable to fully pull his attention away from the compact in his hands.

     “Leapt over there. Hadn’t gone since I got my powers back. The flight wasn’t too bad, but I can tell I’m a little shaky. I need to fly some more, and I won’t have a problem.”

     “Well, hopefully, you’ll get the practice, big guy.” Prompto closed his compact and tucked it into the pockets in his loose pants. “We ready to go?”

     He looked between Gladio and Ignis, who looked to each other. Ignis nodded. “Ready when you all are.”

     “I’m ready!” Prompto pumped a fist into the air and spun around on his left foot.

He lead the procession out of Ignis’ room, out of the building, and into the sunlit courtyard once again. Just past all the buildings was a tall hill upon which there was a stable. The stable hand Royale looked after all of the mounts for all of Dethrel. In the months that Prompto had been here, he had only seen one other person work at the stables instead of Royale, and that was only a handful of times.

The stable housed beautiful mounts known here as ‘chocobos’. If someone were to describe them to Prompto, he wasn’t sure how he would have felt, but when he first saw them in person, he was in love. Since Prompto couldn’t freely fly here, he made sure to ride the chocobos as many times as he could. If it weren’t exhausting for the birds, he’d probably ride a chocobo all day.

Gladio and Ignis flanked him on either side as they crossed through the courtyard. Prompto glanced between the two of them, but then his gaze lingered on Gladio’s face.

     “... You okay, Gladio?”

Instead of an immediate answer, Gladio let out a low rumble. It was almost a growl, and Prompto could practically feel it in his own chest.

     “Yeah…” Gladio started. “I was just thinking about a dream I recently had and wondered if I should bring it up.”

     “If you think it might help. If you feel bothered by it, I mean,” Prompto clarified.

     “It’s just… It was a strange dream, and since that’s kind of your thing, I think you might have some insight on it. I dreamt that I was fighting the King or at least someone just as strong as him. But it wasn’t _me_ , you know. I could see what was happening, but the body I was in wasn’t my own…”

     “Maybe it was a vision of the past… Maybe you were just remembering through someone else’s eyes?” Prompto stared straight ahead and grew thoughtful. “It wouldn’t be unheard of, especially with our people, but… If that’s what’s really happening, then that could help answer some questions.”

     “Answer some,” Ignis began, “and create others.”

Prompto closed his eyes briefly and sighed heavily through his nose. Ignis was right, but he tried to look on the positive side. The last thing he needed right now was to get caught up with more distracting questions.

When they came to the top of the hill, Prompto noticed that Royale wasn’t in their usual chair. The others noticed just as he did.

     “Royale’s not here?” Ignis piped up.

     “Must be inside,” replied Gladio.

Prompto looked into the stable and practically skipped in. “Hello in here~” he called out, looking around. Just as he did, he saw a chocobo with hints of white that were almost indistinguishable from its pale plumage. Prompto’s eyes light up, and he walked over towards the avian.

     “Oh, _hello_ ,” he greeted in a singsong. “When did Royale get _you_?” He reached up to cup the bird’s face, and it let out a happy trill at his touch. Prompto’s heart leapt with fondness.

     “Crazy how he can just bond with them, huh?” Gladio began behind him.

     Ignis feigned thought. “Not too unheard of. Considering his energy and even his look, one might think the two were kin.”

     “And what’s _that_ supposed to mean?” Prompto asked for the second time that day. He looked back over his shoulder towards the two and saw them smiling his way.

     “Looks like we ruffled his feathers.” Gladio joked. He gently elbowed Ignis. To Prompto, he said, “We’re just musing about why you and the chocobos get along so well.”

     “Yes, you have an almost _familial_ connection with them.”

     Prompto pointed to Ignis. “Alright, you—!”

     “I thought these voices were familiar,” came a soft, dreamy voice.

Everyone turned towards Royale as they entered the room. Their red hair was mostly pulled back behind their head, and their clothes had patches of dirt and grass stains. They had a bucket of feed in one hand, and the other had kept a bag steady on their shoulder.

     “Need some help?” Prompto offered.

     “If you don’t mind. I was just about to take a sit down anyway.”

Prompto, Ignis, and Gladio all walked over to help where they could. Gladio took the bucket, and Prompto helped Ignis removed the heavy bag from Royale’s shoulder. They split the bag open at the top. The chocobos _kweh_ ed and danced in their stables. Prompto looked to the birds. He wanted to adopt all of them. He wondered how they would do back Home.

     “When’d you get the pale one?” he asked, moving away from the bag to go get a scooper.

     “Oh, I’m just babysitting that one. The owner has business in the market and didn’t want the little one getting lost in the crowd.”

     “That one’s little?”

     “You should see its siblings. They’re massive for their kind. The yellow chocobos don’t often get that big.”

Prompto stared at Royale unwaveringly, trying to process all of the information. He was trying and failing to envision chocobos bigger than the ones he had seen.

     “We’re actually headed towards the market ourselves,” Ignis said coolly. That was enough to wrangle Prompto’s mind and set him back on his task. “Perhaps we can keep an eye out.”

     “You might be able to spot them,” Royale replied. “Though, I can’t be sure what business the owner gets into while she’s there.”

They folded their hands over their lap and leaned back in their stool. They rested against the wall just behind them. Various tools and a broken saddle hung above Royale’s head. The broken saddle was loosely hooked onto the wall, but they didn’t seem too bothered by it.

     “Got an idea of which ones you all wanted to take into the market?”

     “Well, we might have something to do after as well,” Prompto said. He looked to the others for confirmation as he tossed the scoop between both hands. When he was close enough, he dug it into the bag of mixed green seeds. “So, we’ll need ones that are good for long travel.”

Royale hummed. They gaze moved from one bird to another. As they thought, Prompto took out a few scoops of seeds and added them to the bucket Gladio was holding. He mixed everything together with the scoop. Afterward, Gladio went to feed each of the birds. Prompto turned. The stable was a bit on the emptier side. There were usually twelve or more birds here, but today there were only eight. He tipped his head.

     “Are the birds out grazing or something?”

     “A couple,” Royale said distractedly, still thinking about the prospects. “The others were sold off, maybe a week ago.”

Hopefully, those chocobo went off to happy homes, but at least that meant there was a possibility that other ones would come in to fill the empty spaces. When the birds were fed, Royale directed for Gladio to leave the bucket near them.

     “The brown one, the darker yellow one, and the one right at the entrance are your best bets for what you want. Feel free to fight amongst yourselves which ones you want.”

A shared laugh amongst the group, but the trio took to the birds that Royale suggested. Prompto felt a growing feeling a certainty as he checked out each bird, and the feeling became intense beyond description when they finally all made their selections. Royale began saddling up each bird, but Prompto distractedly wandered out of the stable. He stared out at the world, and from such a high vantage point, he could see so, so much.

He had a good feeling about this. He wasn’t sure exactly why, but he trusted his instincts. A hand went to the wall, and the other rested on his stomach. The sunlight was warm; everything was calm. Nothing had changed yet, but he just knew they were on the right path. He’d be his life on it.

     “Ready to go, Prompto?” Ignis touched a hand against Prompto’s lower back.

     A moment passed, and Prompto moved. He kept his eyes towards the distance for a bit longer. “Yeah.” He turned and looked up to Ignis. They stared at each other in a beat of silence. Ignis said nothing; Prompto didn’t ask what he saw.

     “Let’s go then.” Ignis turned away and headed towards their steeds. Prompto followed suit.

Royale gave one last check before sending them off with a wave. They promised to have the birds back within a reasonable amount of time, but none of them could specify exactly how much time they would take. Royale was understanding enough. So long as the birds came back in one piece, it’d be a fair trade. Between the three of them, Ignis, Prompto, and Gladio knew that that wouldn’t be a problem.

The three descended down the hill in a triangular formation. Prompto was behind and to the left of Gladio. The reins for his chocobo lay slack between his legs. The bird had its own pace, and Prompto was happy to let it take charge for a while. He was distracted by many things. He was still trying to piece together what Gladio had told him. For him, dreams always had a meaning, even if they were silly or prophetic. And considering everything, he wasn’t about to leave a single stone unturned.

It had been a year or so since they ended up in this realm. They were all scattered, had no powers, and it felt like an eternity for them to find each other. The one concerning thing was that Noctis still wasn’t here. They all feared that he might have been _gone_ , but Luna assured them that he hadn’t… died. Even thinking about it was a far too heavy implication. Prompto wasn’t sure what he would have done had that been the case. Thankfully though, it wasn’t, so he never gave himself a chance to think on it long.

But since Noctis wasn’t _gone_ , Prompto, Ignis, and Gladio were all on this desperate treasure hunt to find him. They had no leads for a long time, but then Prompto started receiving dreams, hints, flashes of _something_ that ended up leading them further and further where they needed to go. Lately, though, he hadn’t had any new dreams or revelations. It was mostly all the same: mythril caves and white gems. Or stones. He wasn’t sure what to make of them. They had been to the market and into the town countless times, but there was never anyone there who could give them much information.

That’s what happened when one lived in a province filled with traders, vagabonds, and soldiers. Those who usually had the most crucial information were off who-knew-where. But today, everything just felt _right_. Prompto had faith in this adventure. He wasn’t sure how he knew everything would go right, or even if it would at all, but he had faith. And that was enough to get him where he needed to so far.

Once they were near the bottom of the hill, Prompto wrenched himself from his thoughts. No more thinking. That wouldn’t do him any good. If he kept this up, he’d dig himself into a mental hole, and he couldn’t have that. He took up his chocobo’s reins, leaned forward in his saddle, and whistled melodically to his avian. The bird _kweh_ ed in understanding before taking off ahead of the others. Prompto heard Gladio and Ignis call out for him, but soon after, he heard the pretty trills from his companions’ birds. Soon, the three were quickly on their way.

They hit the main road. Prompto looked over to his right. Further down the way, there was a long river that separated the busy town of Bafsk from the hillside. There were a couple of long boats that he could see coasting through the waters. Flocks of birds passed over the buildings, and he already knew that the streets were filled because of the market. It might be a little rough getting into town, but it’d be worth it once they got there.

Shadows shifted around him as they entered a tunnels. The occasional chirp and _kweh_ bounced off the walls. It was enough to ground Prompto in the moment. He could feel Gladio or Ignis reaching out into his mind, but he walled them off. He just needed a little more time to steel himself for what lay ahead. Hopefully, they didn’t mind waiting.

Outside of the tunnel, the group took a turn down a side road for mounts. The chocobos trilled and slowed down, once again going at their own paces. Prompto dropped the reins again before gently scratching at his chocobo’s feathers. It stopped, wiggled bodily, and let out a happy song in response. He huffed out a laugh before sitting back and letting his chocobo carry him into Bafsk.

Bafsk was packed. The thoroughfares were packed with people and carriages; the foot traffic was heavy but steady. Prompto’s chocobo looked around curiously. At times, it paused to poke its head into other people’s business. Prompto chuckled and steered the curious bird back on track. They had to go through the residential district and curve around to the marketplace because the main paths leading there were overflowing with people.

     Prompto lowered his inner barriers. _“It’s pretty busy today, isn’t it?”_

 _“More than I remember seeing it,”_ Ignis replied. _“It’s always hard for the word of certain important events to get up to the hillside.”_

     Gladio added, _“And even if it did, we’ve been so busy looking for Noct that it’d be hard to keep track of everything.”_

     Prompto nodded. _“You’re right. Let’s see if we can find anything in all the noise.”_

_“Here’s hoping.”_

This was a good sign, Prompto felt. With so many people, that meant that there were a number of important or anticipated vendors here. Even if they had to stay for a few hours (or even the whole day), Prompto figured that they’d at least get more leads.

 _“Let’s find somewhere to keep our chocobos,”_ Ignis said finally.

 _“You ready to pay an arm and a leg for it?”_ Gladio grunted.

_“I’m sure we can convince them otherwise.”_

_“Theft of services, Iggy?”_ Prompto teased with a playful gasp. _“I never would have suspected.”_

Even without turning around, Prompto knew that Ignis was staring a hole into his head. He couldn’t help but laugh.

After asking around for five minutes, they finally found somewhere they could keep their avian steeds. It was a bit far from where they needed to go, but for the sake of keeping their chocobos safe and out of the way for two hundred and some gil, it wasn’t that bad of a sacrifice.

Bafsk was such a nice turn from the polite quietude of Dethrel. It was livelier, and they had so many different events happening throughout the year it seemed. In Prompto’s opinion, they didn’t travel here enough. Every now and again, they came down for information during their search, but it was never for long. They helped a few of the oblates come down from Dethrel with their supplies, but as a group, the trio never _visited_. Maybe once they rescued Noctis, they could slow down for a bit and just be tourists for a while. That’d be nice.

Following the sea of traffic, the three managed to squeeze their way into the marketplace. Vendors were calling out their wares; excited voices of various patrons created a constant flow of noise over their heads. All of the merchant set-ups were eye catching in their own ways. The most delicious aroma filled the air, and Prompto immediately felt his mouth water at the smell of it. He wanted nothing more than to chase after it, but he had to stay focused.

It was then that a streak of white flew past his face. He whipped his head to follow it and saw a moogle approach a couple atop their chocobos.

     “Non-commercial chocobos aren’t allowed in the marketplace, kupo!” the moogle chirped, swaying side-to-side as it floated in the air.

It had on an official’s robe with a little feather floating around its head. Prompto’s eyes widened.

It was so cute...

     He managed to collect his thoughts enough to say, “Thank goodness we already put our birds somewhere else.”

     Gladio looked around. “Looks like they have a pen here for them. Might have a few.”

     “I bet the prices are exorbitant…”

     “Wouldn’t be surprised, but like I said, good for us. We’re ahead of the game~”

Prompto reached out to place his hands on his friend’s arms. He pushed his energy outward and gave them each a spiritual charm to carry with them. It held his memories about the dream and all the clues he found that he couldn’t exactly describe with words. There were two distinct chimes in his head when the others acknowledged their charms.

     "Let’s split up,” Prompto said as he pulled his hands away. “Might be able to cover more ground.”

     “If anyone finds anything significant to share, find a low traffic area to meet up in,” Ignis stated.

     Prompto gave a thumbs up, and Gladio nodded. “Got it,” they said in unison.

With that, they parted ways within the Bafskian crowd. Foreign merchants and local purveyors were all trying their best to draw in the passersby, waving their hands and signaling to their charms on display. Prompto passed the random vendor that actively wasn’t trying to bark their wares, and _that_ was interesting in and of itself. _‘Smart,’_ he thought as he glanced at the booths. That was definitely an effortless way to draw the eye, especially during an event that usually called for some level of energy.

He found a booth that sold crystals and stones. He froze instantly, and a still from his dream flashed in his mind. He turned towards the vendor and realised that the stones had power. He could feel the whisper of magic from each of them, and there weren’t many. Green, teal, and yellow orbs sat in their velvet cushion. Prompto felt some part of his soul shudder internally. His true form reacted to the magic, and he was quick to calm himself. He cleared his throat, closed his eyes, and made sure that his human disguise was kept tightly in place.

     “What are these?” he asked, slowly opening his eyes.

     “These here?” asked the dark haired vendor. They were sleepy eyed and carried a naturally disinterested look. They chewed a length of straw as they sat up in their chair. They were immaculately dressed, but they didn’t carry the serious nature such an attire would have called for. They leaned towards the stones. “These right here are gifts from the planet harvested and refined by the Shinra Corporation.” They reached out and took one of the stones. “Materia, as they’re called, allow us normal folk to use fantastical abilities far beyond our means.”

Materia. Prompto reached out to touch the teal one the vendor held. Was this…

     “And you make these?” he asked, his voice choking slightly.

     “Nah, we just refine them at Shinra Corp,” the vendor proudly boasted, letting Prompto take the materia for himself. “These stones are actually naturally occurring, and its possible to find them yourself.” They wiped their nose with a grin. “But they’re often found in places that are too dangerous for delicate folk like yourself to get into. But who knows, you could be more of an adventurer than I think.”

They laughed, and Prompto ignored the playful jab. Holding the smooth orb in his hand, he felt his spirit quake. This was it. This “materia” was exactly what he was looking for.

     “How rare is this?” he asked distractedly.

     “Uh, let’s see…” The vendor thought for a while. “I mean, from what I heard, it takes a long time for these to form out of the mako springs.”

     Mako springs. Another valuable clue. Prompto immediately grinned and placed the materia back in its place. “Sorry, I’m just so amazed. It’s so pretty, and I never heard of that before.” He pointed his thumb over his shoulder. “I’m from Dethrel, y’see, and I’ve never been into town before.” It was a lie, but how would this trader’ve known that?

     “Aah, a holy man, huh? Well, brother, I’m glad I could enlighten you. Can I interest you in a stone or two or would that be a taboo of faith?”

     “Actually, I’ll call my friends over and see what we can do.”

     The vendor nodded, turned the straw to the other side of their mouth, crossed their arms, and plopped down in their chair. “I’ll be here for the next three days if you change your mind.”

     Just then, more prospective customers slid up to the booth. Prompto nodded and took his leave. “I’ll remember that. Thanks!”

He took off quickly; his mind was abuzz with information. It was only when he was some ways away from the booth that he realised he hadn’t asked anything about finding materia anywhere near mythril.

 _“Those white stones in my dreams are called materia,”_ he told Ignis and Gladio. _“Ask if anyone knows about them or if they can be found anywhere near mythril.”_

_“Affirmative.”_

_“You got it.”_

Prompto needed to sit down for a moment. Being so close to that stone had triggered something in him he wasn’t expecting. He looked around for a semi-crowded area. If there was even a corner he could sit in for a little while, he’d be fine with that. He pulled away from the main crowd and found an extremely narrow alley between two Bafskian businesses. In spite of the nomadic shops that had set up in the marketplaces, the local businesses were still booming. Thankfully, that also meant that people were so busy shopping no one would mind Prompto taking a breather in the shadows.

 

He leaned his back against the wall and sank down to the floor. He let out a dual toned sigh and rubbed his face. Materia… He had never heard of them before, but he had no doubt of their authenticity. These stones could give humans new abilities… Prompto wondered how strong the abilities would be or how it even worked. Whatever was in that bluish stone felt good, felt calming. He felt as if some small part of him had healed up, but it was the natural power of it all that truly interested him. His god form had stirred at the very presence of the materia. He hoped the vendor didn’t suspect anything about him because of that display. What if his eyes were glowing?

Prompto brought his hands up to his face and laughed nervously. Would anyone even believe the vendor if that were the case? He tried not to think about it anymore. He took in a breath through parted lips and focused in on himself.

It was easy to lose track of time that way. The surrounding noise quieted, and the world narrowed down to a singular point. Prompto’s soul felt suspended between realms, far beyond anyone’s reach or words. He felt closer to his natural state this way, and that was enough to ground him once again. As he slowly came down, the noise returned with a vengeance, and he was aware of how hot it was here in the marketplace. The shadow kept him cool but only marginally so. There was a faint tapping in his head, and he brought down the wall immediately.

_“Prom, you okay?”_

_“‘m fine. I just… Being close to that materia really dazed me. If you find any, be careful, okay? It could just be me, but that stuff is… It’s unique. I’ll talk about when I get my head together.”_

_“Don’t push yourself.”_

_“I won’t.”_ He stood up and dusted himself off, making sure there wasn’t any dirt on his pants. _“Any news?”_

_“Iggy?”_

_“There’s a man we should meet named Al-Cid. I spoke with one of the jewelers here, and she said that he’s near the ‘back’ of the market. If you want, you can stay where you are, and we can come get you afterward.”_

_“No, no. I’m fine. Really.”_ Prompto turned towards the mouth of the alleyway and set his hand on a wall. _“Just tell me where exactly to go, and I’ll meet you guys there.”_

The emptiness was definitely off-putting. Being separated from the lively, noise marketplace was eerie. It almost felt like he wasn’t in Bafsk anymore. He checked over his shoulder constantly, but he kept following the familiar auras of his companions. He eventually came across them standing in the center of the path, lowly talking with one another. They broke conversation, looked to Prompto, and motioned for him to follow without a word. He was quick to do as silently instructed.

They walked in a straight line shoulder to shoulder, and Prompto felt completely at ease. As they walked, Prompto’s attention flicked to the neatly stacked boxes along the eastern walls. One or two of them were opened, but that was it. There was a cart straight ahead, but the wooden shutters were tightly closed. A man stood just away from everything with a hand on his chin as he stared skyward. His clothes were unlike anything Prompto had seen in the region, and even standing still, he had this dramatic presence.

The mysterious vendor’s feathered brown hair swept over his sharp features. He reached up to run his fingers through his thick hair, and Prompto realised that this man had _flair_. That was the only thing he could think. He spun around suddenly and pointed towards the cart, calling out to someone Prompto couldn’t see. Prompto looked around in confusion before staring at the strange man once again. Thankfully, no one had to call out to him. The vendor turned and looked their way when he heard them approaching.

     Ignis turned his hand in a circle. “Are you the one they call Al-Cid?”

     “And who’s ‘they’, I wonder?” The man shifted his weight and took on a more relaxed posture, facing his new guests. “But I am he.”

     “Forgive our sudden intrusion. We were directed your way by one of the trade jewelers. We were wondering if you knew anything about white materia naturally occurring in or around mythril caves.”

     “White materia? Aah… Those are rather rare and incredibly valuable. They’re usually found in extremely dangerous places. Do you plan to mine them?”

     “We’re just looking for something precious,” Prompto said, “and it’s our only clue to go on.”

     “Precious… but to whom?” Al-Cid began his slow strut towards Prompto, who fought his first instinct to back away. When Al-Cid was within arm’s reach, he smoothly turned on his heel with his hands on his hips. “What say you? Do you know of any precious things left in dangerous caves?”

     “I can’t recall anything specific. People often do foolish things,” replied a voice.

Who was here? Prompto resisted the urge to extend his senses, but he was curious about this mysterious other person with them. More than that, he was curious about the man standing directly in front of him. Now that he was closer, Al-Cid’s presence was dramatic and… off-putting.

     Al-Cid looked over his shoulder, and the look in his eyes was enough to make Prompto take a step back. “I wonder if you are the fools who left this precious things or merely the ones trying to retrieve it.”

There was the slightest of smiles on his face, but Prompto still felt ill at ease. Ignis reached out a hand and placed it on Prompto’s arm. Calm spread through his mind, but it did nothing more than put a blanket over the ill feeling. Al-Cid turned again and stared down at Prompto. He met the merchant’s gaze, and that strange feeling doubled. Al-Cid felt… Well, it was hard to place what he felt like, but there was just something so not right about him, but the feeling was quick and evasive, unwilling to be pinned down and named. There was a ticklish feeling on the back of Prompto’s neck, and the longer he stared at the merchant, the more he felt _wrong_.

Prompto gave a hard shake of his head to dismiss the feeling, and Al-Cid took that moment to stray to his right. He stood in front of Ignis. A few moments of silence, and then Al-Cid headed to his left, once again cross in front of Prompto as he went to Gladio. Prompto gathered his wits quickly enough to watch Al-Cid and Gladio.

Unsurprisingly, Gladio cut an intimidating figure of himself. He crossed his arms under his chest, and his tunic tightened along his shoulders as if he could barely contain his muscle. His winged tattoo curled over his flexing biceps. His posture was impressively upright. He looked absolutely immovable. Prompto knew it would only take one wrong move for Gladio to pounce. He was impressed how long Gladio managed to hold Al-Cid’s stare.

The sentiment seemed to be shared, and Al-Cid huffed a laugh before turning away. Once his back was turned, however, Gladio’s bravado crumbled. His expression tightened, and he covered his face with a hand. Prompto reached out as a comforting and grounding force. Gladio attempted to give some kind of reassurance, but his words came out as a dazed growl.

     “I see it now… You’re no ordinary cave hunters,” Al-Cid said. He sounded thoughtful.

     “Not at all,” Ignis said calmly, and Prompto wondered what effect, if any, Al-Cid’s stare had on him. “We’re followers from the hill, living in the community of Dethrel. What you perceive may only be the blessing of the Goddess as those who follow Her are truly blessed indeed.”

It was a line, but it was so easily and elegantly recited that even Prompto felt he could easily believe the lie. But it seemed Al-Cid was not easily swayed. Once he was near his cart, he looked to Ignis again, and this time, he had a blank expression.

     “The Goddess,” he repeated blandly. He leaned his head back and let out a noise of recognition. “Aah, yes. I’m familiar with Dethrel and its eccentric little ways.” He clapped his hands together, and life bled back into his expression. He was woefully unreadable either way. “Well then! I wouldn’t want to _offend_ any of the gods by dismissing three of their most curious children.” His tone wasn’t sarcastic, but he didn’t sound entirely genuine either. Regardless, he continued with, “And what materia did you say you were looking for again?”

     “White,” Prompto said, a little too quickly for his liking.

     “White materia is truly unique. In fact, it’s said that there’s only one of its kind in the entire world. You could search high and low and never come across anything like it. The same could be said of black materia. They are both powerful artefacts given from the planet.” Al-Cid brought his hands down and behind himself.

     “However, I believe that you _devoted_ brothers will find that that isn’t entirely true. White materia exists in one of three places in the entire world. They don’t appear in abundance, and they appear with such rarity that there’s no one alive who can say for sure how often they appear.”

Al-Cid leveled them a look that Prompto wasn’t able to decipher and therefore didn’t like. With a dramatic flick of his right hand, he produced a pair of tinted glasses. He slipped them onto his nose with an almost sensual sigh.

     “One of the places you could try would be the Lhusu Mines,” he said. He ran his fingers through his feathery hair. There was a small moment when Prompto thought he was putting on a show, but he also felt that this was how the man just naturally was… “My airship will be arriving very, very soon actually, and my path usually takes me past there. Should you need it, I could offer you three a ride.”

A chill passed over the trio simultaneously. Prompto jerkily shook his hands at his sides. Who _was_ this guy!?

     “We’ve got chocobos to take us to an airbase,” he said, forcing himself to smile and rubbing his hands together. It was obvious they were all affected, but it didn’t seem smart to confront to man just yet. If they were lucky, they’d run into him again. Great, just one more thing to ask about. “We probably shouldn’t leave them unattended anyway, and it’d be a hassle to get them through the crowd with everything going on today.”

It felt like an excuse, but it was true. And he couldn’t imagine being in the air with a man like this. It was an uncalculated risk, and he just wasn’t willing to take it. Prompto’s mind repeated _wrong, wrong, wrong_. While he didn’t disagree, he was beside himself with indecision. He usually never doubted his instincts, but there was something so pointedly amiss that he couldn’t help himself.

     “Besides,” Gladio added, “if I remember correctly, the Lhusu Mines are pretty far out. Wouldn’t feel right to take the birds so far away from their stables.”

Thank the stars for Gladio.

     Al-Cid threw his hands up with a smug smile. “Suit yourselves, but if you ever feel that you wish to find me, I come to this market the last two days of every week. I’ve already had my share of profit for the day.”

     “Noted. Thank you for your assistance,” Ignis said, never once taking his eyes off the man.

With that, the three turned away. Prompto stared down at his hands, laced his fingers together, and squeezed his hands tight. Before they could actually walk away, Al-Cid called out to them.

     “And should _I_ find anything of interest, I will send word to Dethrel.”

     They froze as one. Prompto looked to his friends, and Ignis was the one who replied without turning. “Please do.”

Finally, they were able to leave. Prompto could feel Al-Cid’s lingering gaze on them, even when they mixed into the marketplace crowd far away from him. He felt his skin was crawling all over, and it took all of his willpower not to say anything. Once they were out of the main crowd, heading towards their chocobos, his resolve finally cracked.

     “AUGH!” He rubbed his arms brutally and stopped his feet. “Was it just me or—?”

     “Was there something _really_ off about that guy?” Gladio finished. He shook his shoulders.

     “Exactly! What do you think he is? He can’t be human.”

     “True, but he’s not one of us either. That, I can guarantee. But perhaps he has some sort of connection with our realm that we don’t know of yet.” He was silent for a heavy moment and then dismissed the thought with a wave of his hand. “Regardless, we now have a substantial lead. We’d best follow after it and leave such thoughts for later.”

     “Do you think we can trust it?”

     “It’s the best thing we got.” Gladio idly cracked his knuckles. “Besides, even if there is something wrong with him, I doubt the guy was lying.”

Prompto felt inclined to agree. His gut instincts echoed the word _wrong_ when Gladio said it, but there was a day-to-day quiet in him when it came to Al-Cid’s integrity. Even though they would be hot on Noctis’ trail after this, Prompto knew it would be hard to completely put the man out of his mind.

     “Then it’s settled,” Ignis said. “If there’s one thing to say about this, it’s that we’re several steps closer to finally rescuing Noctis.”

     Prompto gave a small smile. “Yeah, we totally are.” He thrusted a hand in the air. “Let’s go!”


	2. Take to the Skies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [The Omen trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZymd6r4wGg) has gotten me incredibly hyped. I feel like I'm way too synced with this game as a lot of my ideas match up pretty damn well with the trailer. That's not a spoiler as much as it is… a warning of things to come~

Despite declining a ride on Al-Cid's airship, Prompto soon learned that they would, in fact, have to fly regardless. On their way back to Dethrel, Ignis told him that the Lhusu Mines were located in the Skycity of Bhujerba. It was a beautiful place, he said, but getting there wasn't easy.

Even though they had regained most of their powers by now, Prompto didn't actually trust himself with _flying_. The thought sent a pang of weariness through him, and he knew that it wasn't worth the experimentation. At least not right now. Having a primarily human form was strange for him – and for the others, he was sure – but he could still manage most of his powers. It helped that this world had mastered art to an almost scientific degree, he thought, and so testing out his abilities in small doses didn't earn him strange looks.

Once they were back at Dethrel, they handed the chocobos back over to Royale, and Prompto left the birds after a few final pets. They went down into the village and stood around in the courtyard to plan their next course of action.

       “If we're going to fly… Gladio, would you be able to take us?” Ignis uncurled his fingers, gesturing towards Gladio.

       Gladio nodded. “I can manage it.”

       “And there's no point in going back for the chocobos,” Prompto said. “Do you think someone here could take us down?”

       “We could ask,” Ignis said with a slow nod. To Gladio, he added, “We can go down into the plains. It's the clearest area for you.”

       Gladio turned away, looking around. “Right on.”

They headed into the main building again, and Gladio passed through the main exit, half-jogging downstairs once he saw people he recognised. Prompto watched from the windows as Gladio placed a hand on a man's shoulder and made a small gesture towards the window where Prompto and Ignis stood. Prompto gave a little wave of his fingers. Gladio's companion grinned. After a gesture towards the stairs, he and Gladio climbed up the stairs.

       Prompto heard the spirited response. “Aah! It would be lovely to spend the day out there, but don't fall asleep.” The man looked to Gladio but then shook his head, slapping his hand against Gladio's back. “Who am I kidding? It'd be nice to fall asleep in such a peaceful place and wake up under the stairs.” He uncurled the fingers of his free hand in a wave, gesturing towards the sky.

       “We plan on it,” Gladio said once they stood in the hall together. Prompto turned and leaned back against the window sill, his hands cupping the edge. Gladio motioned towards him and Ignis. “If you wouldn't mind–”

       “Nothing to _mind_ , Gladio!” The man gave Gladio a little shake. “For you, for your friends, it would be a simple thing! I won't be free until the early evening. Will that be alright with you?”

       Gladio looked to Ignis and Prompto, who both nodded in their silent ways. “Sounds good to me.”

       “Great, great.” The man smiled to Gladio and then to the other two in turn. After a small wave, he headed behind Gladio down the hall.

Prompto brought his hands up and clapped for Gladio, who raised a brow at him. He then crossed his arms tight in front of his chest, canting his head to the side.

       “I didn't know you could be so charming,” Prompto said.

       Gladio scoffed a laugh and smirked as he sauntered forward. “Guess there's a lot you don't know about me.”

       “Oooh, enlighten me.” Prompto waggled his brows and then stood up on his feet.

The three went back to their Exalted Chambers. He looked down at his clothes, feeling comfortable with what he was wearing, but he felt as if he was _lacking_ something still. He went to his jewelry box and opened the bottom drawer. He pulled out his bangles and set them on top of the dresser. From the dresser itself, he opened the drawers until he found the emerald bracer he would slide on his left arm. He placed the bracer down next to the bangles and felt… better. He stared at the jewelry quietly and brought his hands together. After a moment, he walked backwards to his bed, sat down, pulled off his sandals, and laid on top of the sheets.

He took a nap to kill time, falling into a dreamless state in a dark world filled with stars. He woke up when he felt Gladio wander closer towards his room. He blinked repeatedly and rolled onto his back, rubbing his face slowly and letting out soft, sleepy noises as he slowly woke up. He pulled his hand away to see Gladio standing at his door, looking back towards Ignis who spoke to him from afar. He waved a hand, gave a nod, and turned to walk into Prompto's room.

       “Hey, sleepy head,” he greeted.

Prompto waved his fingers above his head, yawning big before finally sitting up. He looked over to Gladio and took in what he was wearing. Gladio wore a long, dark purple sleeveless tunic that fell down to his shins and had high slits on either side up to his waist. Red embroidery crept up the tunic like little vines of fire. His loose trousers were black and billowed over the tops of his knee high boots. The toes of his boots lifted up slightly from the ground. Around his neck, he wore a circular gold plated necklace with a crystalline finish and switched his dark grey ear piercings for golden ones. His fingers were weighed down by a number of rings.

       Prompto gave a slow appreciative nod. “You look nice.”

       “Yeah?” Gladio brought up a hand, rubbing over his ringed fingers with a thumb. “Hate these things though.”

       “You look royal.” Prompto gave a lazy smile and turned his legs over the side of the bed. He yawned again and pointed over to his dresser. “Hey, go get those for me, will ya?”

       Gladio walked over and motioned a hand over the bangles and bracer. “Mn?”

       “Mhm.” Prompto nodded his head and held out his hands for both things.

He brought the fingers of his right hand together as Gladio slipped the bangles on for him. He shifted one of the bigger bracelets up his arm where it fit perfectly on his forearm. Gladio held out the bracer for him, and Prompto worked the emerald fabric over his arm. He adjusted it until it fit comfortably and adequately covered from his wrist to his elbow.

       “We should go head out,” Gladio said. “You ready?”

       “Yeah,” Prompto said quietly, rubbing his wrist idly. He looked up. “… I'm nervous.”

       Gladio gave a smile, warm and reassuring. “We all are.”

Prompto leaned down to grab his shoes and stood up after putting them on. He and Gladio met up with Ignis and headed to the front entrance. Gladio said that he would wait in the courtyard and encouraged the others to go wait on the stairs in the front. Prompto made an okay sign with his fingers and then trotted down the stairs until he was almost at the ground level. He didn't sit, though it was his first inclination to do so.

The Sun was setting off towards his right side. Prompto looked out to the horizon, admiring the beautiful picture in front of him. He bounced in place, bangles jostling on his arms and necklaces bouncing against his chest. Finally, finally, after so long of eavesdropping on prayers, asking around for information, piecing together obscure clues, and finding dead ends, this was it. This was new place, and no matter what, that would take them somewhere.

But he had a strange feeling that _this_ was it.

 

Just before the Sun fully set, the trio was carted away to the plains as requested. There was a wooden frame over the driver with a pole that stuck out over the horse. A lantern hung from the post, illuminating the way as the cart rocked gently down the path. It was good to have as the road was barely lit along the way. Prompto looked around with great appreciation, finding this evening to be more beautiful than any other. He looked out past the hills and could see lights twinkling in the distance along barely visible roadways. When they arrived at the plains, the sky was bare above them, and there wasn't a trace of light anywhere for miles, outside of the cart driver's.

They bid their driver farewell and safe travel back to Dethrel. After, Prompto spun around, opened his arms, and rushed out towards the center of the plains. His bangles jangled as he went, and he hardly cared. He didn't mind being heard, and he was a noisy little beacon for his friends to follow him. He spun around, watching the stars twist in a globe above him before he stopped. He leaned back until he almost fell, eyes following along with the many different constellations and feeling at peace in seeing them.

       “Who knows what creatures may lie in wait here,” Ignis commented.

Prompto brought his head down and stared at him; his attention drifted over to Gladio who approached him with his hands in his pockets.

       “Yeah… There could be all kinds of things waiting to sneak up and _bite_ ,” Gladio said, snapping his teeth in Prompto's direction.

       Prompto smirked and kicked up one leg, leaning back on his other. “Yeah well, I've got you two to take the first bite for me, don't I?”

       Gladio laughed and came to Prompto's side. He looked up to the sky. “That's cold, Prom.”

Prompto laughed to himself and looked over to Ignis as he drifted closer. They stood in relative silence, and Prompto closed his eyes, almost losing himself in the serenity— but then Gladio spoke up again.

       “Alright. You two ready?”

After a cursory glance around the area, Prompto nodded and stepped backwards to give Gladio some room. He felt magic crackle in the air as Gladio closed his eyes and began to center himself. Prompto looked up to the sky, seeing wisps of otherworldly energy materialise and dance in the starlight. He focused on Gladio, feeling his friend's transformation stir a more dormant part of himself.

Gladio stretched his arms slowly out at his sides, drawing in a long breath. As the seconds passed, a purple magic circle appeared under his body. Prompto and Ignis stepped backwards at the circle expanded. When it stopped, it was about three feet in diameter. Sacred words appeared in white and lavender, slowly twisting at Gladio's feet in alternate circles. When Gladio's hands were up above his head, he curled his fingers towards his palms and then slammed his arms down at his sides. The large circle pulsated once then again, jettisoning several glyphs over and above him. The smallest of the magic circles turned at Gladio's throat. When he opened his eyes, they flashed with rich purple power.

Gladio's human form began to fade and crack away; dark smoke wafted up from his body. His rings glinted white before extending over Gladio's fingers, forming against each digit and becoming claw like. His tunic fluttered as an unnatural wind swirled from underneath him. Gladio's skin grew darker, more unnatural in colour. He winced and threw his arms around himself. He doubled over, having to take a small step forward to catch himself. Magic energy swirled around his back, two orbs circling his shoulder blades before stabbing through him. The magic rippled over Gladio's arms, following a distinct pattern. After a beat, the energy shot backwards, forcing Gladio to lean backwards with the motion as massive wings grew out of his back.

His body began to expand and grow until he was able to almost completely fill the circle on his own. A deep, otherworldly growl left his body. His necklace began to glow; it removed itself from his neck and compacted into a shining crystal before embedding into Gladio's chest. Gladio opened out his hands and concentrated his power. His hands trembled as he collected the energy and crushed it in his fists. The glyphs retreated to his torso before once more lifting over his body and manifesting as a golden wheel at his back.

Gladio exhaled through his opened, fanged mouth and blinked slowly before he relaxed. He turned to face the others and looked to his left then his right, extending his hands out towards his companions.

       “ _Need a ride?”_ he asked without moving his mouth, grinning at Ignis.

       “Yes, actually. You're right on time.”

       “All aboard the Gladio express!” Prompto shouted as he took his friend's hand.

Gladio rolled his eyes and leaned down slightly. He scooped the pair up, allowing the two to sit on his forearms before he stood up to his proper height. Prompto let out a soft noise of wonder, staring own at the ground that was now eight feet below him. He wrapped an arm around Gladio's neck, bumping into Ignis' arm when he did. He flashed a sheepish smile before gripping Ignis' forearm.

       “ _Hold on tight,”_ Gladio instructed, looking up above them.

Faint magic circles appeared overhead, growing in size as they moved away from the trio. Prompto felt a surge of power well up inside of Gladio. Each wave felt overwhelming _by proxy_. Gladio had full control over himself, but it was always jaw dropping to just feel the depths of his abilities. The power was enough to convince Prompto to tuck himself to Gladio's body just before Gladio took off with alarming speed.

Gladio's wings cocooned them all as they took off into the air. When they reached their needed height, Gladio opened out his wings with a flourish, spinning as he did. Prompto shuddered and looked over to see how Ignis was faring. He was practically _offended_ by how calmly Ignis adjusted his glasses. He then looked past Ignis to their aerial surroundings. There were a few sky continents, and he was amazed. He didn't know any of their names, but one of these had to be Bhujerba.

       He saw Ignis lift up his left hand and watched as he pointed off towards the distance. “Bhujerba should be the largest of these.”

       “ _Want to fly overhead to make sure?”_

       “Please do.”

       “ _On it.”_

Prompto braced himself and gave a final look to the sky continents. There was one over Gladio's shoulder as well, but when Prompto looked, he was distracted by the moon. He admired the celestial body as they flew away from it. It was amazing from this 'close'; Prompto almost wanted to reach out and touch— but he didn't, because that would be foolish…!

They raced towards the largest of the continents as Ignis had indicated, drawing higher as they came closer to it. Gladio turned to his left, coasting in that direction before diving down, curving under the massive city before arching back up once again. Thankfully, they only needed to pass over it once before confirming that this was Bhujerba, but Gladio made two more turns, needing to properly scope out their landing strategy.

Honestly, flying around like this made him feel a little sick. Maybe he should practice, so he could get used to it again……

Prompto felt Gladio and Ignis decide on a location with Ignis pointing down somewhere into the forest bordering the town. It was then that an unfortunate question came to him.

_How were they going to land…?_

       He grimaced and asked, “We're gonna go full meteorite, aren't we?”

       “As chances are, we might have a bit of a rough landing.”

       “ _Nothing wrong with being rough every once in a while,”_ Gladio joked. _“Just hold on, and I'll get us there.”_

       “Bracing for impact!” Prompto tucked himself as close as he could get, keeping a firm grasp on Ignis and Gladio.

Again, there was that jaw-dropping burst of speed as they headed towards the forest. Prompto tightened up at the speed but soon relaxed, preparing himself for the drop off. Ignis pointed Gladio in the right direction. The area where they were going to land had a small clearing for Gladio to aim for, and he would have to make his way towards it for the best landing possible. Gladio dove down into the forest; his outstretched wings were strong enough to cut down a few trees. He relaxed his arms, and Prompto felt himself slipping at a controlled speed. When they came over the clearing, he and Ignis dropped down to the grass. Prompto had to jog forward a few steps to accommodate for the momentum.

He felt Gladio pass over them, curving up high into the air. His large wings carried him up before dissipating into that dark smoke again. The smoke engulfed Gladio's entire body, and his human form descended from the cloud. Gladio flipped over until his feet were facing the ground. “Comin' down!” Prompto shouted as he jogged backwards, trying to give his friend as _much_ room as possible without taking to the air himself. When Gladio landed, the impact rumbled through the earth. Along with a few demolished trees, he managed to leave a shallow crater in the earth.

Prompto gave a sharp whistle as he stared at the visible bruise on the world. He wondered if anyone else felt that from afar…

       “Oops,” he said, stepping backwards out of the crater. “Y'don't think Mother Nature'll be too mad, do ya?”

Prompto looked around at the trees and the stars twinkling overhead. They seemed so much closer now…

       “Perhaps we should ask,” Ignis replied with a smile on his face and a hand on his hip.

The air had a different scent now. This was nothing like Dethrel or Bafsk.

       Gladio shook his head. “I'd rather not take my chances.”

They were on Bhujerba. The three of them made it.

       “Guys!” Prompto shouted suddenly, eyes wide. “We're. _Here_. We made it! T-the mines have be pretty close by right? We should hurry there before—”

       “Hey, calm down,” Gladio said warmly, advancing towards Prompto. “We're excited too, but let's calm down…” He placed a hand on Prompto's shoulder. The other swept upward in front of his chest as he took a deep breath. He let it out quietly. “And breathe.”

He repeated the motion, and this time, Prompto joined him. They took a few calming breaths together. When Prompto had his fill, he closed his eyes and let out a contented hum. Afterward, he stared up at Gladio and gave a quick nod. Okay, okay. He was calm now. He turned to Ignis, who motioned for them to follow. They headed out of the forest and soon stared down at the nearby town. Bhujerba… It was pretty at night.

       “Let's make haste,” Ignis instructed. “If we're lucky, we should be able to at least figure out where the mines are located tonight.”

The three carefully made their way down the sharp hill, past the numerous trees, and jumped over rooftops into the city walls. They looked around when they landed, making sure no human or moogle or anything else had seen them descend. Prompto began stretching nervously, taking extra care not to jingle and jangle too much. Ignis and Gladio took small steps, surveying their area before standing in place.

They wandered Bhujerba together. Considering the late hour, there weren't many people out. A few troublemakers and tough guys hung around in recesses, chatting or waiting for someone to harass. Prompto met the gazes of these so-called tough guys. The most he and the others got were assessing glances but not much else. Come on! Weren't they dressed nice enough to rob? He clicked his tongue and looked away. Lame…! As they walked along, he almost noticed a couple of kids sat on the steps in front of their house, loudly chatting about which hero they liked best in a book they recently read. Prompto kept his eyes on them, pausing briefly as he became engrossed in the conversation. He stood next to their stair wall and just listened. The other two continued for a few steps before noticing he was slacking behind.

       “Prom– ah, Prompto,” Ignis called out.

But it was too late. Prompto walked up to the high steps and jumped up. He gripped the edge and pulled himself up. The kids gasped as he crossed his arms over the side and balanced himself.

       “I read that book once,” Prompto said nonchalantly.

       “Really?” the smallest one asked, clutching a stuffed Tonberry to her chest.

       “Mhm. Personally, _I_ think the Vieran prince was the coolest.”

       The eldest of the two nodded. “You're right! She _i_ _s_ the coolest! She had this huge sword—” The excitable child began opening out her arms to show off the length of the fictional weapon. She lost her balance and nearly went tumbling down the stairs, but Prompto reached out his arm quickly. He helped her sit up properly, giving a little laugh.

       “Careful now. Oh hey. You two wouldn't happen to know where an inn is around here, would you?”

       “Ooh! Where're you from, mister?” the little girl asked.

       Prompto gave a broad smile. “Niflheim!” he lied brightly.

       “ _Our_ papa went to Niflheim once,” the older sibling said, clicking her heels together. “He said it was stuffy there.” She scrunched up her nose.

       “I don't like when my nose is stuffy!” the little one shouted, eyes widening as she interjected.

       Prompto laughed. “Me neither.”

       “The inn's that way.” The older daughter pointed through one of the buildings in the direction they were already going. “Up there and by the, uhm– by the majick shop.”

       “Thanks! Have a good night!” Prompto said as he pushed away and dropped down to the floor.

The children moved to the edge of the wall, making noises of wonder when they realised how high Prompto must've jumped to get to them. He jogged back towards his companions, and the three of them headed towards their destination.

       “You know, we could have just walked around,” Ignis said lowly as they walked away.

       “I know, but I really liked that book.” Prompto flashed his friend a winsome smile.

Ignis shook his head and didn't try to combat Prompto's logic. Prompto took that as a win.Surely enough, it wasn't long before they found a sign for the majick shop with the inn tucked just near it. They climbed up the small set of stairs to the inn. A bell tinkled as they entered through the door.

       “Svagatam, Bhadra!” The nu mou greeted warmly.

Prompto almost froze in place as he beheld the inn keeper. He gave a reflexive wave, hand moving a bit too fast before he brought it over his mouth. He turned his body away slightly, glancing to the others and conveying his excitement silently.

       « _So cute, »_ he thought to his friends.

       « _Prompto, please_ , » Ignis retorted, side glancing to the blond sternly.

Gladio took a step forward and checked them into the inn. They weren't able to share a room, but their rooms were close to each other, considering the size of the inn. They thanked the nu mou and moved towards the narrow steps, which they climbed cautiously. The wall and the side of the staircase were all stuffed with books. Absolutely filled to the brim with tomes, essays, literature, and other encyclopaedias that went without description. Gladio brushed against a cane in the corner. Prompto quickly reached out to catch it, only to realise that it was no ordinary cane he had in his hand.

The staff came to life almost immediately in his grasp. The majick stored within was cool and relaxing. The other two crowded close to him, mostly to keep anyone else from noticing. Prompto stared at the item with silently widened eyes and politely set the staff back in its place leaning against the bend of the wall. The three glanced back to the innkeeper who, seemingly, didn't notice.

Prompto's room was immediately to his left with Gladio's directly across from his and Ignis to Gladio's right. He pushed open his door and felt unspeakable relief to be close to a bed. The flight had tired him out, and all of his bottled up excitement played a fair part in his exhaustion as well. He pulled off his accessories, took the compact he got from Luna, and set those items on a small table in a corner of his room. He moved to the bed, pulling off his sandals before falling down face forward onto his bed.

He reached out for the others, wanting to have one last chat before shutting down for the night, but Ignis had closed his mind. There was a wall between them, and Prompto decided to leave him alone for now.

       « _Whatd'ya think Iggy's doing?_ » Prompto asked Gladio as he turned his head on the pillow.

       Even in his mind, Gladio grunted. « _Probably something top secret and important. There's no tellin'._ »

       Prompto smiled and crawled up to the head of his bed, wrapping his arms around a pillow. « _Yeah… Hey, this place is pretty, isn't it?_ »

       « _It is. We should try to come back when it's all said and done._ »

       Prompto gave a warm smile, eyes already closed. « _Yeah!_ »

By the time Ignis spoke up again, it was to say good night, and Prompto was well on his way to falling asleep. His voice was like a soft caress against Prompto's tired mind. The blond gave a weak 'good night' in return, but he was slowly slipping into the world of unconsciousness.

For a brief moment, he slipped into the astral plane, seeing his surroundings on a star system. Within the largest, protective circle were him, Gladio, and Ignis. Their spirits appeared like connected constellations, showing off where they were. The nu mou below them was like a small star cluster, filled with majick and unknown potential. There was someone else in the building, but whoever they were, they were merely a tiny bundle of stars. It was kind of cute. Prompto tried desperately to extend his reach, trying to see more of Bhujerba and hoping, perhaps foolishly, that he would stumble across a miracle.

The plane disturbed as fatigue weighed down his senses. His mental and spiritual parts fell away to his exhausting, soon joining the rest of his selves. Just as his dreams began, there was a flash of the mines, of shining minerals unlike materia or mythril. He didn't have a chance to ponder it as he soon fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Svagatam, Bhadra!" – Bhujerban for "Welcome, friend!"


	3. The Search for What is Lost

        “Into the mines!” Gladio stated, punching his fist into his open palm.

        “To the mines!” Prompto replied, squeezing his hands into fists.

        Ignis pushed open Gladio's inn room door and let out a small sigh. “I asked the innkeeper. They don't sell maps for the mines. We'll have to find a cartographer or find a map within the mines themselves, if there are any.”

        “A blind bag of adventure. I'm into that,” Gladio replied, placing his hands on the bed on either side of himself.

Prompto relaxed his posture, rubbed his hands over his face, and let out a long sigh. It was morning, and he was already aching to get started. His stomach growled loudly. He wrapped his arms around himself and let out a soft whine. Ah, but first…

        “I hate human bodies,” he whimpered, weakening slightly. “Can we eat something first?”

        Ignis glanced over to him. “Might as well. It'd be best to get our strengths up.”

        “I've got the gil. Let me pay for it,” Gladio stated, pushing himself up into a standing position.

        “After you then, Gladio,” Ignis said, motioning his hand towards the door.

        “I hope they have good food here,” Prompto whined as he followed after his companion.

He felt Ignis rub over his back sympathetically, and Prompto shot a glance towards Ignis, thankful for the comfort, regardless of how minor it was. He looked away as Ignis closed Gladio's bedroom door behind them. He followed Gladio down the stairs, and they were all careful not to knock over the cane still set in its corner of the stairs. Prompto eyed it suspiciously before glancing down to the innkeeper behind the desk.

        “Good morning,” the innkeeper greeted, small hands flattening against the countertop. “Will you be checking out?”

        “Yeah.” Prompto moved forward to lean against the desk, arms still wrapped around himself. “And, ah… do you know someplace to eat around here?”

        The nu mou made a thoughtful noise and nodded, turning slowly before motioning a hand towards the outside world. “Go outside and take a left. From there, take your first right, and there should be a number of home-eateries that will serve you. If you're looking for something more official, there are a number of restaurants at Kaff Terrace to the South.”

        “As long as people serve us, we'll eat wherever,” Gladio assured with a smile. He pushed away from the counter.

The three thanked their host and exited the inn after their farewells. Gladio stretched up his arms towards the sky and let out a small groan. Prompto reached a hand up and pat over Gladio's stomach as he stretched. He saw a few Bhujerbans quietly eyeing Gladio's figure, and, eh– he couldn't _blame_ them. They quickly looked away when they noticed Prompto (and soon Gladio) looking in their direction. Prompto grinned and turned to Ignis, who merely pushed up his glasses without comment.

        « _We need to move away from the majick shoppe,_ » Ignis instructed, staring straight ahead towards a sunlit home. « _I worry for how it will affect us; there are some powerful spells in there._ »

        Gladio made a noise of agreement. « _Let's focus on our mission then. The sooner we finish eating, the better._ »

Prompto nodded his head with small noises of agreement, and off they went. Bhujerba looked completely different in the daytime. Whatever ominous pressure there was at night had lifted by now, leaving a pleasant daytime feeling. They observed the citizens, tourists, and architecture as they passed through the city quietly. Eventually, they came across the road populated with home businesses. They picked three restaurants that caught their interest, popping in to ask about portions and seeing how the restaurants were arranged. Mostly, the portions were meager in size, considering their appetite, and the restaurants didn't serve in such large doses. They walked around to the other businesses to see if their luck would fare better there, but it was basically more of the same.

Disappointed by their search, they began towards Kaff Terrace when a jovial voice called out to them.

        “Oh! Yer a big bastard, aren't ye! Lookin' for a good meal?”

Prompto raised his brows at the words. He glanced over in the direction of the voice calling out to them (primarily towards Gladio). He saw the homeowner standing in front of a closed door. They were probably a bit shorter than he was, but they stood confidently with their arms crossed snugly over their chest. Soft brown hair was pulled into a ponytail and covered by a light blue bandana. The bandana was decorated by small white dots and a white border. They wore simple brown clothes with a white apron tied around their waist. Gladio strode over; Ignis and Prompto quietly followed after him. They shot a look to each other, and Prompto only shrugged.

        “Think you're up for the challenge?” Gladio teased, climbing a couple of steps and setting his hand on the railing.

        “Been feedin' soldiers since I was a wee one! Can't say I've ever been scared of no challenge before.” They unfolded their arms and waved a hand as they turned towards their home. “C'mon in! Ye won't find anything better'n Bhujerba. I promise ye.”

        “Well, alright.” Gladio grinned and looked to his friends.

This time, Ignis gave a slight shrug of his shoulder, but Prompto nodded eagerly, setting a hand on his stomach for silent emphasis that he _needed_ to eat something. Right. _Now_. Gladio nodded and began up the stairs, led the way into the white stone home. When Prompto got to the doorway, he could smell food being cooked within. His stomach growled, eagerly anticipating each and every morsel. When he stepped inside of the home, he realised that it was a lot bigger on the inside than he had expected it to be. Sure enough, this was a full blown restaurant. There weren't many people inside, but the few patrons had several empty plates in front of them as they chatted with one another or ate quietly alone. Someone sat back in their seat, clearly stuffed and content with their meal. Seeing the stack of plates made Prompto's mouth water. He slid into a table before the others could decide where to sit and placed his clenched fists on the surface, eagerly awaiting to be served.

The other two followed after him, teasing him for his impatience, but their words went straight through one ear and out the other. Their gracious host came to their table, placing down starter plates in front of each of them. It looked like a simple salad with a fried egg on top and finely cut slivers of meat. Aioli sauce was graciously drizzled on top, and even such a simple dish was enough to make even Ignis' stomach groan. Prompto glanced over to the bespectacled male, elbowing him playfully when he heard the sound.

        Their host smiled. “So. What d'ye folks want to eat?”

        Without needing a moment to think, Gladio and Prompto looked to the owner and said, “Everything.”

        The owner grinned and clapped their hands together. “Now _that's_ what I like to hear.”

The owner walked away, leaving the three to enjoy their starter plate. A lizard-like waiter swung by their table to take their drink orders: coffee and water for Ignis, beer and water for Gladio, and hot cider for Prompto. Prompto barely got his order in; he was so lost in the food. He savoured every bite, memorising each flavour and humming softly in appreciation. He opened his eyes partially and stared at Gladio, who playfully dabbed at his lips with his pinkies out and caused the others to laugh. Their waiter soon returned with a tray of their drinks, setting each one down carefully and bidding the trio a wonderful meal.

Gladio held out his beer; Prompto saw Ignis take a sip of his water first to cleanse his palette, but he took up the coffee mug in his right hand and raised it as well. Prompto held up his hot cider. The three of them clinked their mugs together. Prompto took a curious sip of his drink and relished the warmth as it passed through him.

Their starter plate was taken up sometime later; drinks were refilled a little bit after. But it wasn't long before the _real_ feast began. Dish after dish was bused to their table. They were allowed to relish in each morsel, sometimes sharing samples with one another. Empty plates were swiftly replaced with full ones. The three shared a look, very much remembering being treated similarly in a realm far away from this one. Guilt threatened to settle in with their delicious food, but Prompto shoved down his hurt by shoveling more food into his mouth. Ignis took a dignified sip of his coffee, and Gladio cracked his knuckles before digging in again.

Prompto promised himself that they would, somehow, plan a similar feast for Noctis when they found him. He'd make sure of that.

        “How're ye holdin' up?” came the familiar voice.

Prompto brought up his head, eyes wide and cheeks full of food as he chewed. The weighing guilt briefly lifted off of him when he saw their patron. He nodded his head, and saw that Ignis made an okay sign with his hand. Prompto then glanced down at their table. They had eaten more than any other patron so far had even dared. Most of their dirty plates had been taken away to be cleaned and reused, but there was still a fair stack of dishes that were piled up in the center. It would have taken a good deal of mental math for him to tracked how many plates they used.

After swallowing his mouthful, Prompto looked back to his plate and was glad it was empty if only because it would have given him a break. He leaned back in his chair, throwing an arm over his eyes and his free hand on his stomach.

        “I'm _done_ ,” he groaned.

        He heard Gladio groan and then ask, “Your name?”

        “Quinlan!” Their host replied proudly. Prompto heard the soft cuffing noise of the two shaking hands. Afterward, Quinlan asked, “Yers?”

        “Gladiolus. Just call me 'Gladio'.”

Prompto felt Ignis' shock, and he managed to keep his own to himself. He stayed in his statuesque position, wondering why Gladio gave his name so freely. Oh whatever. He was too full to care right now. He took in a shallow breath, and soon fell still in a brief sleep. He wasn't sure how long he had been out for, but Ignis woke him up with a sharp pinch to his thigh. Prompto sat up quickly, hissing in a breath, as he blinked awake. Gladio and Quinlan laughed at the sight, and Prompto huffed slightly. Great, now Gladio had a friend.

Prompto rubbed his thigh, and their plates were lifted up from the table by a couple members of the staff. Quinlan knocked their knuckles against the table and looked to Gladio.

        “So what's next for ye?”

        “We're headed to the mines. Who knows? We might build up an appetite after?”

        Quinlan let out a long, thoughtful sound. “Aah, the mines… Good luck to ya. Y'know where they are, right?”

        Gladio gave a little shrug with a smirk. “Give us a hint.”

Quinlan gave them directions towards the mines and a few tips about how to navigate the area as well. Prompto leaned forward and laced his fingers together atop the table. He memorised as much as he could, taking special note of things that were most interesting to him, like skeleton beings that came to life and attacked. Those were in the _mines_? He was surprised the place wasn't closed down by now or otherwise purged— more than that, why haven't the creatures within come to the outside? Strange thing, really. He couldn't wait to see it himself.

Ignis had finished his coffee by now, and his water glass was half empty. Gladio drew in a breath through his nose, tilting himself to the side as he took out a pouch of gil. Prompto stared down at his fingers, slowly turning his thumbs over each other. This was gonna be interesting.

        “The meal was lovely. Thank you,” Ignis said to Quinlan, huffing out a small burp that escaped.

        Prompto reached out a hand and pat Ignis on the back, shaking his head. “Meal? That was a _feast_. The real deal.”

        Quinlan gave a small laugh and nodded their head. “Ye damn right. And consider yerselves me honoured guests! I'ven't had anyone that could eat like that in a long time.”

        Ignis brought his hands up to his face, interlocking his fingers and resting them against his chin. “We're not usually big eaters,” Ignis admitted. It was true enough.

        “Today's a special day,” Gladio assured as he set the payment down. He smoothed a hand over his thigh.

        Quinlan nodded. “And I hope it remains that way. Farewell, travelers! Ye best come back and see me again.”

        “We will,” the trio said in unison. After that, they all slowly peeled themselves out of their seats and exited out into the world. Prompto blinked. The Sun was so much brighter out here, or maybe it was just a trick of the mind. He raised a hand over his eyes and basked briefly in the sunlight. Gladio came up to his side.

        “Y'think Noct'll be mad if we don't go _right_ away?” Gladio asked. “And if we just… took a little nap?”

        “You know, I think it might be proud of us,” replied Prompto, dropping his hands down and clasping them over his stomach.

They turned together and walked down the stairs to the ground level. Each step he took made him sway slightly. Ignis looked unaffected, but his movements were much more careful and sluggish than they were before. Prompto wasn't fooled, but he wasn't going to say anything. The trio slowly made their way past the residences and towards Lhusu Square. The entrance ahead of them looked dark. Instead of entering, they lingered outside for a while, leaning against one another as they digested their food. Prompto tilted his head back and watched as the clouds lazily floated by. He felt lost in the moment, briefly feeling small underneath the greatness of the blue sky above him. It was calming, humbling even. Despite his power and stature, he could still feel so insignificant…

It was a long time before they stirred, but they felt more rejuvenated. A brief respite after some great food never hurt anything. Prompto jumped up to his feet, bouncing in place and shifting from one foot to the other as he curled and uncurled his hands. He lifted his head and looked towards the somewhat ominous entrance into the Lhusu Mine to find their missing friend. _Maybe_ to find him. They were merely following a lead. He knew that it would have been foolish to bank all of his hopes on the word of a stranger — emphasis on 'strange' — but at this point, they had little else to lose.

They entered into the vestibule and followed down the stone steps. When they realised that there was no one there, they let go of their powers as they rounded in front of a small fountain in front of the short bridge. The opening of the mines were ornate with golden pillars. It was impressive, undoubtedly, but soon, the golden archways relented to the darker, more enclosed interior of the mines. They still had to make their way down an impressive set of stairs; their powers branched out all the more as they walked.

Prompto felt the others' auras pulse against his, rippling through the floor and up through the walls and into the ceiling, filling the hallways as they walked. It was their only way to signal out to Noctis as well as search for him. It would've been reckless to call out his name, especially since they didn't really know who or what was here, and there was _no way_ he wanted anything to go wrong now. Though, Prompto figured it was unavoidable in a way when their power attracted different enemies. He was shocked by the beasts, especially the skeleton soldiers that Quinlan talked about. Seriously? These were in _mines_?! The bats made sense though, and were perhaps the only thing that really did to him. Each enemy was easily dispatched. Strangely, Prompto was starting to have a bit of fun in all of this. He fired his gun and dodged out of the way of quick striking undead lancers. He laughed to himself. “Got some moves in those old bones!” he shouted before firing off a bullet into a lancer's head. He spun his gun over his finger and glanced to the side, nearly dodging a bat that swooped down at him.

When they ran into a headless enemy, Prompto stared at it, and he was sure the whispered “Whoa…” that came from him didn't go ignored by the others. Gladio stepped in front of him and gripped his sword eagerly. Prompto took a step back. Gladio would take this challenge _easily_. Prompto smiled. If there was one thing he could count on, it was Gladio's strength. He heard a screen behind him and looked to see a wyvern appear behind them, a thick mist flowing from its body. Ignis was busy with another enemy, and so Prompto had to take on this one himself.

He holstered his gun and tapped into his inner power. He wondered… How good was his magic? He felt the familiar winds spin around him when he called for them, but he wanted something better. His blue eyes were tinged with green as he slowly reached for his gun. It took a moment of searching, but when he tapped into the burning brightness inside of him, he grabbed the butt of his gun and brought his weapon up. It only took a second for him to pull the trigger. A bullet of bright white light shot through the wyvern, cutting through it and killing the beast easily. Prompto laughed breathlessly. He still had it in him, but there was still a disconnect between him and his abilities. Maybe more practicing and meditation would help.

They moved deeper into the mines and heard the frightened cries of humans nearby. The trio came across the group of workers, who were huddled next to a heavy sack. They were cornered by more of those skeleton bastards! Prompto looked down and saw that there was a broken talisman nearby. His eyes widened slightly; he recognised it as an item of protection. Well. It was useless now.

        “We'll get you out of here!” he shouted to the workers.

        Ignis rushed forward and tossed his knives down behind the group of enemies, right at their heels. “Stay back!” he ordered.

The humans huddled together, nearly tripping over themselves as they forced themselves into the corner and preparing for whatever Ignis had in store. Ignis brought his hands up to his face, curing his fingers as he drew it close. The knives began to pulsate and flux; a dark energy radiated from them and drew the skeletons' attention. With a jerk of his hand, Ignis splayed his fingers in front of his face, palm facing him. The knives sunk immediately into the ground and trigger released an orb of distorted space. The skeletons were trapped inside. Ignis curled his hand into a fist, and the void collapsed. The skeletons were crushed down into many pieces. Unfortunately, this didn't _kill_ them as the bones were desperately trying to bring themselves back together, but it would due for now.

        “Run!” Prompto called out, swiping his hands towards exit.

As the humans gathered their bag, he rushed forward and collected their talisman in his hands, setting his gun down before he did. As he already tapped into his magic once, it was easier to call on it again. He held the cracked and broken ceramic between his hands; his hair and clothing blew away from him briefly as he willed the item to be whole again. When it was fixed, the Bhujerban text had been replaced with a different language entirely. Prompto reached up and handed it to a human that almost hurried past him.

        “Take this,” he instructed.

The worker thanked him in a hurry and ran out of the mines with all the others. Their thankful and breathless voices echoed through the chamber as did their hurried footsteps. Prompto grabbed his gun, stood up on his feet, and sighed. Well, at least now they had a chance of getting out alive. He looked over to Ignis, who brought up his other hand and moved it in a circle. He brought his hand towards himself suddenly, smacking it against the back of his fist which was still raised in front of his face. Prompto turned to see the bones get pulled into a vacuum and disappear. He sighed through his nose and rocked back onto his heels. Well, at least that was finished.

        Ignis touched a hand to his chest and huffed another burp. He shook his head and muttered a soft “Pardon” under his breath.

        “Alright got room for dessert, Iggy?” Prompto teased, nudging his friend in the back with his elbow as he passed.

He laughed when Ignis made a face, one of regret about his decision. Another chamber awaited them. Of course. These were _mines_ after all. He was just grateful that they could use their powers so freely, especially under the guise of battle. There was the growing sense of familiarity as Prompto used his abilities more and more. The familiar crack of his special bullets made his heart soar with pride. Their silent beacon reached out further and further through the mines when they could run uninterrupted, which wasn't often, but the increased range helped whenever it was available.

After a couple of hours though, regardless of how much he was steadily enjoying himself, he was getting tired. They all were. They stopped to rest within an empty corridor. Their senses were passively heightened, and if anything tried to sneak up on them now, it would be _sorry_. Prompto leaned against the wall with Gladio to his left and Ignis sitting down on the floor between them.

        Gladio groaned. “It's been hours… How big can this place be?”

        “It'd help if we had a map,” Ignis stated, his eyes closed.

        Prompto sighed through his nose. “He has to be here. Has to be…” He looked over to the others. “I had a vision last night, right before I fell asleep. And I don't think my instincts would try to trick me and make me think he's here when he's not.” Yeah, that made him speak more confidently. His visions were very localised. It would have been impossible to have a vision for anywhere else. He flattened his left hand against the wall, tapping his fingers against it pointedly. “He's. _Here_. I know it.”

        Gladio turned his head towards Prompto. “I believe you. I guess, it just seems like a lot to hope for.” He relaxed for a moment and then ran his fingers through his hair with a soft chuckle. “Maybe the fatigue's starting to set in if I'm doubting you.”

        “We can all have a group nap when this is over, big guy,” Prompto said, pushing away from the wall. He reached down to help Ignis onto his feet. “Let's just take it slow, okay?” He looked from Ignis to Gladio, and the two silently agreed with him.

They started walking through the mines again, and this time, the pulsations that Prompto felt from the others was quieter, more subdued. As if the pair with him were _asking_ Noctis to call out to them instead of shouting for him. It tugged at his heart and made him feel a little sad, but he didn't comment on it. He stopped when he felt Ignis' hand on his shoulder. He turned and looked up at the taller male. Ignis pushed his glasses up his face.

        “Now that we have a moment, let me try to search further.”

        “Are you sure?” Prompto asked. “I can do it instead.”

        Ignis shook his head. “It's alright.”

Prompto nodded and held his hands behind his back. Ignis moved over to a wall and leaned against it. He flattened his hands against the stone, and Prompto looked around, thinking he heard the soft shrieking of a bat somewhere nearby. He turned his head when he heard – or maybe _felt_ – the soul-deep sigh leave Ignis. Ignis had his head tilted forward, and with his eyes closed, he looked almost like a statue. A brief chill shook through Prompto as Ignis' spiritual energy rushed over him. The hardest part was waiting in silence and letting Ignis focus as he extended out his range, but Prompto wanted to know. _What do you see? Is anyone out there? Is Noctis? Am I right? What about the crystals– the mythril? Is there more that we haven't seen?_

He wanted to ask, but he kept all the racing questions to himself, trapped behind a private veil in his mind. He looked down to his feet. He heard Gladio shift next to him, but the quiet ultimately remained. When Ignis sat up again, his eyes were completely black until he blinked again. He pushed away from the wall and stepped closer to the others.

        “I know where to go.”

        “Really?”

        “There's something blocking my view, but it seems… peculiar enough to warrant an investigation.”

        Gladio unfolded his arms. “Sounds good enough to me. Let's do this.”

        “Right behind you!”

Rearmed and reinvigorated, Gladio and Prompto followed Ignis' lead. The trio moved a bit recklessly through the mines, cleaving through enemies with unnatural ease. Tiny embers of fire flowed from each of Ignis' strikes while darkness ate away at the enemies Gladio had felled. Prompto spun his guns on his fingers, blasting away enemies that came within his vertical range. Darkness loomed ominously ahead of them as they neared their destination. Only a soft, luminescent glow greeted them as they traveled down the tunnel. It was beautiful, Prompto would give it that much, but something _definitely_ felt off about this place…

The trio slowed their steps, looking to the crystals embedded and glowing inside of the wall. There were tiny orbs and shards which could only be identified as materia, and mythril glinted beautifully in the light the white materia gave off. They each split off and carefully took in the new view. Somewhere near by, headless enemies were heavily stomping along the ground. Their weight could be felt with each step they took, but they were insignificant now. If anything, they were _safe_ with Prompto and the others not being nearby.

Sensing something, Prompto's eyes flashed a brilliant blue, and he made his way closer to a crystal cluster on the ground. He squatted to get closer. The crystals were beautiful, especially with the sunset coloured miasma billowing gently away from them. Suddenly… he felt heavy, a little strange, and he mindlessly reached a hand forward to touch them. As his hand outreached, he felt a hot, angry power spark up in his stomach. That didn't distract from the sleepy single mindedness that had taken over him. His winds materialised again, starting off as a gentle breeze and growing steadily, but just as his finger brushed the tallest crystal, he was carefully dragged away by the back of his tunic. He felt his back touch Gladio's muscled front, and a large hand settled over his chest.

        The steady rumble of Gladio's voice against his back was what helped bring Prompto back. “They're a type of magicite,” Gladio said. “Can't say what type they are, but I've heard enough rumours about the whole class. They have the power to do some real damage, but there are only a few different types.”

Prompto gave a thoughtful noise. His power began to calm down; he wasn't sure when the winds had stopped, but what was most important was that the angry energy quieted inside of him.

        “Potential to do damage, huh?” Prompto said almost breathlessly. He gave a soft, empty laugh. “Yeah… I can feel it.”

He brought up a hand and double tapped over Gladio's forearm, and then he was let go. He stared at the crystals. Now, he could hear their almost tantalising whisper, but he resisted it. He walked down the center of the crystalline corridor now, trying to keep himself from getting too close to either wall. The others were still walking slowly behind them; he listened to the slow cadence of their feet. The hall became brighter with a light blue energy as he went further in. And then Prompto gasped.

        “Noctis!”

He ran up to a giant crystal embedded in the wall and placed his hands against it. He could feel the trapped magic inside, restricted but breathing under his touch. Surely enough, Noctis was inside. His head was tilted towards Prompto. He looked peaceful, though a bit disheveled from what Prompto could clearly see. A mask was set against the side of the prince's head. Prompto couldn't see anything distinct about it. He heard the others run up to him, and he looked to them, unable to keep himself from smiling.

        “See? I told you!” he enthused.

        “Ya sure did,” Gladio said. His voice was a combination of relief and worry. He looked over to Ignis, who stayed focused on the trapped male inside the crystal. “Now, the question is how do we get him out of there.”

Prompto faced the crystal and pressed his palms against it. He tested it with his own force of will, and a white sigil slowly glowed in front of him. A symbol of force protection. He pursed his lips. They couldn't break it with simple means. He looked to the others, wondering if they saw it too. Ignis gave him a small, almost imperceptible nod.

        “We need to break the seal,” he then said matter-of-factly. “Using our strength is not the answer here. You two, follow my lead. I'll need you to inhibit me.”

        “I'm with you,” Gladio assured. He followed after Ignis and stood across from the crystal.

        “Me too.” Prompto pulled himself away, moving to stand behind Ignis to the left with Gladio to the right.

He put a hand on Ignis' left shoulder; Gladio did the same with Ignis' right. Through physical touch, he could feel the amazing energy that filled Ignis like a second presence. It flowed within Ignis with under great control, moving slowly and patiently. Ignis took in a deep breath and brought his hands in front of himself. Prompto felt the control release, and the power flowed more centrally, picking up speed as it focused in Ignis' hands. In response, Prompto closed his eyes and focused hard. Thankfully with all of their fighting, pulling the trigger on his own innate energy was an easy thing. He opened his eyes slowly and gripped his fingers on Ignis' shoulder. He felt his power pulling back against Ignis', and in that, he could also feel Gladio with them, drawing Ignis back to a more controlled level.

A multicoloured aura was created by their combined energies. An inscribed circle appeared underneath them with glyphs that pulsated and flashed slowly; the colour changed with each beat of energy. _Destruction. Liberation,_ the glyphs whispered in each of their eyes, over and over with sacred words of power that enhanced the trio's actions. Prompto felt their minds melt into a singularity, and they raised their heads as one, focusing on Noctis within the crystal. The mineral around him began to shine; the protection spell flashed its symbol against the crystal, but it had served its purpose already. Cracks appeared slowly at first but then spidered up the crystal with growing speed.

Prompto felt a fragment of his power being pulled from his body and channeled into Ignis. His spirit clenched tighter on his friend's. His grip became firmer on Ignis' shoulder, and then the shock of magic passed through his body. It echoed through him as he diminished the full force of the spell. The crystal was absorbed in a dark light, and after a beat, it broke apart. Everyone lowered their hands, breathing shakily at the end result.

Noctis was still for a moment, but then his features tightened as he made a frustrated, tired sound. Gladio spun away from Prompto and Ignis, jerking a fist backwards in success. Ignis stood stock still, but Prompto saw Ignis' shoulders slack down in silent relief.

        “Welcome back, Noctis,” Ignis greeted.

        Gladio turned back to face the prince and brought his hands up into his hair. “Good to see you,” he added, astonished still.

        Prompto, for all his gracefulness, could only whisper, “Noct…”

Noctis gave a hard sigh and looked as if it hurt him. His head leaned back against the wall behind him. He groaned again. He tried lifting up a hand, but it fell slack into his lap. Prompto felt himself jerk slightly, wanting to move forward, but he kept in his place. He wore a robe with multiple layers. The first two layers were white; the one underneath was a cream colour; and the bottom two were red with a small peak of a white pattern. The sash around his stomach was slate blue and patterned with white overlapping circles. After a moment to collect himself, Noctis tried to reach his hands up again. This time with more success. He cupped the edge of the broken crystal and carefully eased himself out of it. Prompto could now see the clay mask on the side of Noctis' face. It was grey and featureless. A little disturbing; he didn't remember Noctis having anything like that before, but well… It's been a long year for them all.

When Noctis came to his feet, his layers of clothing flowed down all around him. He was swimming in his celestial robes, which also seemed to be barely on him, falling in layers. The bottom most layer sat properly on his shoulders while the ones at the very top fell down around his biceps. But one thing Prompto noticed was that, even in this realm, Noctis gave off a preternatural glow. His posture was terrible; his shoulders were slumped forward, and his knees must have been at least slightly bent as he was shorter in stature than he usually was. And if Prompto noticed all of this, he was sure Ignis did too. The thought made him laugh, just a little. The air of familiarity was painfully sweet.

Noctis ducked his head, and in the moment it took Prompto to blink, the mask was set over his face. Still, that didn't stop Prompto from rushing forward. Finally, he found his sense to say something– to _do_ something.

        “Noctis, oh my god!”

He threw his arms around Noctis' shoulders. Noctis brought a hand between them and waved his fingers in a fan in front of his mouth before dropping his arm down heavily at his side. The clay mask had shifted now, exposing only the lower half of his face. Prompto kissed Noctis right on the lips and ducked his head against his companion's shoulders. We squeezed Noctis tight to his body.

        “We've been looking _everywhere_.” Prompto's words left him in a rush, weighed down only by immense relief.

He felt Noctis hum, and the noise echoed in his mind as well. He drew himself back and saw Noctis' head turn as he silently acknowledge both Gladio and Ignis.

 _“Good to see you too,”_ came the tired but easy going tone.

        “We should get outta here,” Gladio said with a smile. “Can you walk?”

 _“I don't_ want _to walk,”_ Noctis said wordlessly, lips unmoving and neutral.

        Gladio grinned now, and he shrugged at the others as he stepped closer to Noctis. “Good enough answer.”

Prompto laughed and nodded in agreement. That's Noct for them. Noctis raised his arms slightly as Gladio bent down to pick him up. Noctis' robes draped over both of Gladio's arms, and Noctis tucked his face against Gladio's chest, letting out a soft sigh. Gladio began walking forward, Prompto close behind him. Ignis reached up to ruffle the soft black hair, and Prompto felt a smile tug at his lips. He noticed that there were bits of rubble and broken crystal in Noctis' hair, but he would have a chance to bathe later.

        “How long have you been trapped in stasis?” Ignis asked.

        There was a heavy, noticeable pause in each of their minds before Noctis said, _“Longer… than a few months. Maybe over seven, but I don't really know.”_ Noctis brought his head up, and Prompto leaned forward, noticing the mask was whole again.

        “How do you feel?”

        _“Sick. Head hurts.”_ Noctis touched his head to Gladio's chest once more. _“I feel like I'm being split apart...”_

        “Well, that's not good.” Gladio frowned, glancing over towards Ignis.

        Ignis looked troubled as well but responded coolly, “It could just be from the stasis. He did have a rude awakening after all.”

        “Did you feel any different when you were first summoned down here?” Prompto asked, popping up to Gladio's left.

 _“Not really,”_ Noctis repeated flatly. _“I still feel sick, but my vision's all messed up like I'm seeing double.”_

        “I was human when I came here,” Gladio said warmly as he adjusted Noctis in his arms. “I would've rather had blurry vision for a while.”

        Prompto placed his hands in his pockets. “I forgot how to use my powers.”

        “Oh no. _That's_ worse. Being human is one thing, but just forgetting is a different kind of torture.”

        “Iggy?” Prompto leaned forward slightly, looking to Ignis on the other side of Gladio.

        “I can't remember.”

        Gladio raised a brow. “What, you had amnesia, or you can't remember what happened?”

        Ignis paused for a moment before frowning. He kept his gaze forward. “… Possibly both.”

        “Yeesh. That's no good.” Prompto rocked upright onto his feet and gave a little shiver.

Noctis let out another _“Mn…”_ but was quiet otherwise. Their mission was finished! They did it. Seriously, undoubtedly _did it!_ Prompto jogged forward and motioned for Ignis to join him and take point. Excitement pumped through Prompto's veins as he clove through enemies. He could feel the indescribable relief pouring from Ignis, and honestly– who could blame him!! When they were out of the dangerous bits and climbed up the dark stone steps, the vestibule was just ahead of them. They walked through calmly together. Prompto spun around once they exited out into the sunlight, lifting himself slightly off his feet as he did and surprising himself.

In the light, Noctis hitched his shoulders up and pressed his face against Gladio. He curled up tight as he shrunk away from the sunlight. Prompto blinked a few times, staring at Noctis and then looking up to stare at Gladio. Gladio gave him a curious look in return; they looked to Ignis, who seemed to have noticed it as well.

        “Gentlemen.”

Ignis and Prompto turned back to see two armoured men stood before them. The aura from these two belied something more than just human. Ignis and Prompto stood protectively in front of Noctis, weapons now at the ready.

        “We are not your enemies,” said the man to the right with short, brown hair. “In fact,” He looked between each of them, “…we are your allies.”

        The blond next to him had a horned helm tucked under his right arm. He spoke clearly and authoritatively, “I am former Judge Magister Noah fon Rosenburg,” he gestured to the male at his left, “and this is Vossler York Azelas.”

        “You need to come with us,” said Vossler. “Quickly.”

        “And where are we going?” Ignis asked, keeping his voice diplomatic and cool.

        Noah tilted his head up just slightly, straightening his already perfect posture. His armour shifted just so with his movements. “You have been summoned by the Immortal Shogun.”

Everyone _felt_ Noctis react to this, but no one physically acknowledge him. Ignis eased his defensive stance, and Prompto did as well. The Immortal Shogun? There was only one person they knew with that name.

        Prompto gave the slightest shake of his head, trying to process this. “You mean…?”

        “Cor Leonis has requested to see you all,” Vossler stated, crossing his arms in front of himself. “We have an airship ready to take you to him.”


	4. We'll Tell Our Tales

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all's support means so much to me. It's always wild when I see people enjoying things that I write. I've been doing this for _years and years,_ but seeing comments or likes always blows my mind, especially on big projects such as these.
> 
> Tomorrow's Halloween, which is a really big deal for me. I might be super busy that day, but Happy Early Hallow's Eve, my friends!

The walk to the airship was tense.

There was the combined relief of knowing Noctis was alive and that he was real and breathing and that Gladio had the elusive male in his hands. But there was still the suspicion in the two mysterious men that had come to them. They had names – Noah and Vossler – but who they _were_ was a different matter entirely. They were both human and not as if they had been blessed with a greater power. How and why? They knew Cor Leonis by given name and respected title, but that gave little away as to where they stood and what their tie was to the Immortal Shogun. Perhaps Cor was the one who blessed them…? These and dozens of other questions buzzed in Ignis' mind. He glanced over to his companions and met Prompto's wary gaze. There was a mutual understanding between them that went without words and projected emotions. Just what was going on…?

Ignis then set his gaze onto Noctis, who he was still having a hard time believing was there. The relief took over him again, replacing the suspicion for just a briefest of whiles. The young royal had nearly completely curled himself into a ball whilst in Gladio's grasp. Ignis would have been amused at the sight if worry didn't sit at the front of his thoughts. Was the Sun bothering Noctis? Well, it would only make sense after nearly a year at rest, but even with his mask on, he rejected the light. It made Ignis feel… uneasy, though he wasn't entirely sure why himself. Ignis reached out again to softly pet Noctis' head. There was no outward reaction, but Ignis felt better for having done it anyway. Finally, Ignis checked upon Gladio and wasn't surprised at what he saw. Gladio's expression was blank and stone-like. He kept his gaze set straight ahead on the two men that walked ahead of him. Ignis let him have his peace.

They walked past residences and businesses. Some Bhujerbans and travelers standing around outside watched the group pass by with great intrigue. It wasn't the stares and the low whispers that Ignis tried to ignore; it was the ominous feeling that radiated from the public. Their speculations rose and the curious gossip created an atmosphere that was stifling. Ignis pushed his glasses up his nose and challenged that atmosphere with a flare of his aura. Humans around them flinched, reacting against the aura as if it was a blast of wind. Vossler and Noah looked over their shoulders towards the group behind them. Ignis met their gaze but said nothing to them.

When they finally arrived in the Aerodrome, the relief was once again palpable from the reunited group. Vossler broke away to head to the receptionist desk. Prompto and Ignis huddled closer to Gladio, checking on Noctis, who reacted with a groan.

_“Stop hovering over me. I'm fine, jeez.”_

“Can't blame us for worrying!” Prompto replied, reaching in to pinch Noctis' ear.

Noctis rolled his shoulder hard, trying to discourage the teasing hand and only succeeded in making Prompto laugh. Gladio smirked as he watched the two. Ignis glanced over his shoulder, watching the other men quietly. Noah watched the four of them, and Ignis turned away before he met the human's gaze challengingly. It wasn't long before they could board their airship, and whatever relief Ignis had felt was soon gone once again.

It was a smaller-than-standard sized airship. Its interior lacked any luxurious decorations, but it hit just the bare minimum of comfort. Ignis furrowed his brow when he boarded and looked around. This wasn't an arms carrier, but it lacked the charm of a passenger vehicle. Ignis could only wonder what it was. His hand reached out for a grab bar on the wall. He watched as Gladio knelt down beside a cushioned bench and laid Noctis down upon it.

Noah and Vossler took their seats away from the group. Noah sat at the edge of a booth, and Vossler stood just behind him, holding onto a grab bar over his head. The airship rumbled as it took off. There was a bit of a rough take off, and Ignis could feel the smugness roll off of Gladio. It was a wordless feeling, but Ignis could only translate it as _I can fly faster than that._

« _You're noisier than that too,_ » Ignis shot back, rolling his right shoulder.

Gladio flicked his gaze over towards Ignis, who merely smirked back at him.

« _But we both agree that I'm_ faster _,_ » Gladio emphasised.

« _I'm not fueling your ego any further._ »

Gladio huffed and closed his eyes as a small smile pulled on his lips. “Spoil sport.”

Noah and Vossler quietly watched the exchange. If they knew something was happening between Ignis and Gladio, they didn't make it known in their body language. After the conversation, for a long time, there was nothing. The airship's flight was clearly audible in the silence. Prompto glanced around nervously before staring resolutely at the floor. Ignis calmly reassured his friend over their spiritual bond, and Prompto relaxed. He set his arms on his legs and leaned forward, letting out a sigh.

He just wanted whatever this was to be over, and Ignis couldn't blame him.

In the heavy silence, Noctis let out a groan and slowly began to sit up. His friends perked up slightly at his movement, encouraging him to rest or to not move without some help. Noah and Vossler quietly watched from their positions. Ignis took a half step forward before realising that he didn't need to move either. Gladio helped Noctis into an upright position and then he joined the younger male on the bench to keep him steady.

 _“I'll be fine,”_ Noctis said again, this time with an audible thread of annoyance in his voice.

“Well, this is just in case,” Gladio stated, leaning into Noctis and speaking firmly.

Noctis didn't respond back. Instead, he looked over towards Vossler and Noah. The mask over his face was completely featureless and smooth save for a black crest painted on his face. Admittedly, Ignis found it a little unnerving.

 _“Where are we going?”_ Noctis asked.

“We're headed to Cor Leonis,” Noah spoke up. He didn't seem fazed by the mask at all. “He's waiting for you at a temporary refuge.”

_“And how can we trust you?”_

“Listening to strangers is what helped us find you,” Prompto said, trying to lighten the mood. He gave a weak little shrug. “Maybe we should go two for two?”

“He's not wrong,” Gladio said lowly, sitting back against the bench.

“We can do you little harm,” Vossler assured. “Though we've been anointed, we're still not scions like yourselves. We're merely mortals, and even if we were to strike one of you down, the fact is there are more of you, and you all have more experience in various fields of combat.”

Ignis spoke, cold and factual, “We've spread tales of humans who've been brave enough to fall scions before. I'm sure, if you've been taken in by Cor, that you both have a considerable amount of skill to do so yourselves. I can only wonder... if you're ambitious enough.”

He stared flatly at the two of them. Noah and Vossler looked to each other and shared a meaningful look. Vossler sighed and turned his head away. Noah was the one who spoke to the others.

“I must reiterate that we mean you no ill will. If you do not believe us, we can tell you exactly where Cor Leonis is, and you may go to him yourselves.”

The four scions shared a quick discussion of feelings and wordless questions. It lasted a few seconds before Ignis spoke up,

“That is quite alright. We'll follow in your footsteps.”

Neither human looked relieved by the response, but that was the point.

Noah broke the silence quickly enough. “We cannot tell you what we know as you will hear the same from Cor Leonis in a matter of time, but I will tell you this: Vossler and myself have been allowed into his Army. We've proved ourselves worthy during the Slumber of Archades. It was a battle that ran through the entirety of the empire, a civil war one could say, but it was far more than it originally appeared to be.” Noah brought his hands together, stroking one thumb over the other. “At first, it seemed as if mania had broken out amongst various citizens of the Empire. Merchants were stubborn; sandalwood was burned indiscriminately, keeping people trapped within certain sections of the city. Emissaries screamed in the tongues of their native lands.

“We suspected that it was a trick of the Mist. For the past ten years, we've been struggling to keep it contained or to keep up with its intangible flow. Scientists from all over the world worried that it was the beginning of an epidemic; believers in the scion hoped that it was the rise of humankind. Hopes for transcendence filled the streets, but–” Noah waved a hand. “That is neither here nor there. Back to Archades, the city was being invaded by scions of the Goddess and believers in Chaos. We did not know the reason for their uprising. To this day, we're still unsure of what it could have meant.”

“We suspect that Cor Leonis knows,” Vossler stated, “but he refuses to tell us in any significant detail.”

Noah merely nodded, side glancing to his companion before refocusing on the others. “The Slumber, as you can guess, put the Empire in a state of rest. Many of those possessed were dealt with as best as they could. There weren't many casualties, but it was still an exhausting spiritual battle. In order to find the true threats, Vossler and I…”

The two tensed as Noah trailed off. Noah tipped his head down and touched his knuckles to his forehead.

“We had to destroy ourselves to save the Empire and become more useful to Leonis' cause.”

“What did you do…?” Prompto dared to ask, though his hesitance was clear.

Vossler began instead, “We needed a greater power to help guide our men. They were woefully blind to what was happening, and while they did well not to harm innocents, it was difficult to explain what the true threat was when we didn't truly know ourselves. So, we offered Cor Leonis a favour, one from each of us, and we left it open ended. In exchange, he weakened our ties with humanity.”

“Our spirits broke. It's best to say that the death we died was beyond physical,” mused Noah. “I felt myself wasting away from within; it was frightening to be completely aware of my degradation.”

“But it happened so fast. To me,” Vossler said, “perhaps that's what was perhaps the most shocking. He destroyed us and remade us so quickly. I felt I was in shock, but I could move and react without that cognitive effort. He gave us the ability to better detect scions. As a warrior in this world, we've trained ourselves to detect particular energies that are above the average human. It helps us connect better with magic, communicate with beasts that might soon be our allies, and such, but this was…”

Noah shook his head slightly. “What we have now is truly beyond compare.” He looked to the four of them and sat back, placing his hands on his thighs. “In any case, Cor Leonis' favour was for us to join his Army. He respects that we have our own duties to attend to, but we, first and foremost, belong to him now.”

Vossler placed his free hand on his hip. “I worry for a day when our various loyalties clash together.”

“Ask for trouble and you'll get it,” Gladio said easily.

Noah let out a huff of a laugh, though his expression didn't change. “Perhaps you're right.”

Ignis and Noctis were noticeably quiet during this exchange. Noctis kept his head facing towards the superhuman pair, but there was a stillness about him that didn't make him feel real. Ignis frowned slightly and moved closer towards his charge– his friend.

“Noctis,” he whispered, placing his hands on Noctis' thigh. “Are you alright…?”

In the second it took him to blink, Noctis' blank mask was staring down at him. The young royal was quiet in every sense. His spirit was like a frozen lake. No, it was best to say it was like an _empty_ lake. He had a vessel, but on the inside, he felt empty. Prompto was next to notice as he let out a worried “Noctis…?”, and Gladio merely stared at the younger male. His lips were tugged down in a frown, his expression troubled.

And then all at once, Noctis filled with life again.

 _“Hn?”_ He shook his head and raised a hand to his hair. _“Sorry, I… drifted off.”_

“Don't do that,” Prompto said weakly, leaning back slightly.

“You sure you're alright?” Gladio asked, trying desperately to see some expression past the mask.

 _“I'll be fine,”_ Noctis stated, his voice devoid of any irritation in repeating himself.

 _I'll_ be _fine_ , Ignis repeated to himself, noting that the younger male indirectly admitted he wasn't. But nitpicking at this point wouldn't do them any favours, at least not while they were in mixed company. After a moment, Ignis, Prompto, and Gladio looked away from their royal prince and refocused on Noah and Vossler. Vossler perked up and looked over his shoulder, staring at the metal door that separated them all from the cabin. Ignis watched him and noticed that, from the look on Vossler's face, he was seeing something more far off in the uncovered distance.

“We're almost there,” he reported to Noah.

“Good. I'll send a warning up ahead.”

Noah pulled himself up from his seat and walked to the cabin door, opening it up and speaking with the captain within. Ignis began to wonder why _he_ couldn't feel anything when a cool feeling washed over his skin, which was almost immediately pricked with goosebumps. The ship must have passed through a field as everything felt different now. Ignis felt Cor's familiar energy against the barriers of his mind.

Now, he believed them. Cor Leonis was _actually_ here.

“We're landing outside of the safe house,” Noah stated when he closed the door behind him. “Vossler and I cannot join you. We have duties elsewhere.”

“I understand. Thank you for bringing us here,” Ignis stated, warming up to the two a bit more.

“No need to thank us,” Vossler stated. The two men stood side by side and pounded their fists against their chests. “Be well until we meet again.”

“We shall.”

The airship lowered down until it was near the ground. The side door opened, and a ramp extended down to the stable earth. Prompto exited first, keeping point. Gladio helped Noctis to his feet and followed after. Ignis looked to Noah and Vossler. He gave them passing, silent nods and was the last to leave the ship.

Once their feet touched the ground, Noctis crumpled in Gladio's grasp. _“Dammit… Not… here,”_ he groaned as Gladio helped him stand once again.

“Let's get him inside,” Ignis instructed as Prompto rushed closer and tucked himself under Noctis' other arm.

There was a unified noise of agreement from Prompto and Gladio. They all began closer to the safe house, and Ignis couldn't help but take in their surroundings. The airship lifted away noisily but left an unmarred view of the world around them. All around them was rich green grass. Ahead of them and behind the house were jagged mountains that looked impossible and futile to climb. To the left of the house was a rushing waterfall that collected into a lake. The Sun peered brilliantly over the mountains and illuminated the soft blue sky. Directly in front of them was Cor's temporary refuge built on a wooden pier foundation. A matching wooden ramp wound up to the side entrance. A step of stairs headed up onto the veranda. From their perspective, the house didn't look very wide; it had a narrow build but was fairly tall. The scene, as a whole, was incredibly calming, but the group was nervous.

It had been a very long time since any of them had seen Cor Leonis…

Ignis was the one to take the lead this time. He could feel Cor calling out to him from a room somewhere near the ramp. He led the group forward, heading up the stairs and onto the rich oak wooden floor. He paused once he was at the top and made sure the others were following him. Noctis took unsteady steps, but Prompto and Gladio kept him up easily. Cor's aura, all the way, became even stronger, serving as a silent beacon. Once the others were at the top as well, Ignis led them down the walkway and into the building. He slid open doorways to clear the way for them. The footsteps echoed against the wood. They turned left down a hall and stood in front of an open door with a dark grey curtain draped in front of the entrance. Ignis hesitated for the briefest second before he pushed aside the curtain. He allowed the others to enter before him before following suit.

The four stood in a line, staring at the calm figure of Cor Leonis just in front of them. He was sitting in seiza, his hands set on his legs. His room was the perfect embodiment of stillness. Ignis noticed that his aura had calmed immediately once they went past the door. It was the calming rush of the waterfall outside that helped set the four newcomers at ease. Gladio and Prompto helped Noctis to the ground, and he sat down with his legs stretched out in front of himself. Without thinking, Gladio imitated Cor's style of sitting. Ignis sat with his legs crossed and tucked close to his body.

“You've finally found him,” Cor said. His voice was a welcome calmness to each of their ears. He opened his eyes and stared out towards the waterfall. “I wish I could have accompanied you all.”

“How've you been, Cor?” Gladio asked, voice warm.

“Busy.” Cor's neutral voice held a hint of humour behind it.

He turned to face the four of them, but his gaze soon set on Noctis, who was in that strange state of stillness once again. Ignis turned his head as well, leaning forward to peek at the quiet prince, but he flinched once he felt a blast against him. It came so suddenly; he was unable to brace against it, but the suddenness of the strike made Noctis lean back. He took in a breath as if it had been punched into him and went into a brief coughing fit. His hand touched his chest before moving up to his throat, which he rubbed sorely. Ignis watched in silence, unable to what he was meant to take away from the moment.

“How long has he been like that?” Cor asked calmly.

“For a little while,” Prompto admitted. “Since we got on the airship. We're not really sure what it is that's making him act like this.”

Cor nodded and looked to Gladio. “How did you find him?”

Gladio rubbed the back of his neck. “Honestly, we were tipped off by someone. Name of Al-Cid. You know the guy?”

Cor went silent for a moment before shaking his head. “I do not.”

“Hmn. Well, he led us in the right direction.”

“Creeped us out,” Prompto added, “but he wasn't lying about Noctis… He knew the right way to go. I don't think he knew who was actually there. Or maybe he did. It's a little hard to tell.”

Ignis motioned his left hand out to Noctis, though Prompto sat between the two of them. “We originally found him in crystal stasis. Outside of shrinking away from the Sun, we didn't find anything abnormal about him until we brought him into the airship.” Well, there was the issue with the mask…

“Crystal?” Cor mused.

“Yes… It had a seal of protection on it. I suspect that he put the sigil there himself before falling into his rest. But more than just that, there was another crystal that blocked my vision when I extended my range to find it. It was in a cluster and had a strange power about it. Prompto almost touched it and nearly lost control.”

“What did it look like?”

“It was a dark colour,” Prompto began. “But it let out some kind of… miasma when I got near it.”

“And considering you were all in the Lhusu Mines, I can only suspect it's a substance known as 'nethicite.'”

Gladio let out a long hum, finding understanding with the name. Prompto let out a small sound when he started to speak but soon quieted down.

Ignis asked, “How did you find us? Your… men said that you personally requested us. If you knew where we were, then surely you might have come across Noctis' location on your own.”

“I'm afraid it's not that easy,” Cor said. His one was neutral, but his words dismissed Ignis' claim entirely. “I knew that you all were forcefully summoned here, yes, but I was unable to follow you immediately. You see, my Army has been dispersed over a few realms, fighting a war you will soon find yourselves immersed in.” The others tensed in front of him. Noctis' head lowered slowly. Cor continued, “When I was able to come here, my search was in far different channels.

“And if what you're saying is true, Ignis, then I couldn't have found him unless I suspected as much myself. Crystal stasis is not something that commonly happens. If it happened when he first came to this realm, then _perhaps_ I would have known for such a dramatic flux of energy wouldn't go unnoticed by our kind, but it wasn't immediate, was it, Noctis?”

 _“_ … _No.”_

Cor nodded. “Then I was as blind as you were. In fact, more so.

“Having reliable soldiers who are invested in the politics of this realm has helped me a great deal. They were coming back from the one of the militant capitals when I sensed your collected energy. I sent Vossler and Noah in my steed to collect you, and collect you they have.” He paused and took in a small breath through his nose. He let it out calmly before shifting the topic slightly. “Noctis needs to rest. I'm unable to stay here with you all, but I will return soon. While I'm gone, you're free to use this as your base. I wouldn't advise moving him otherwise, but if you have somewhere safer you feel you can be, I will be fine with you taking him there as well.”

Ignis shook his head. “We will stay here. As you said, he should rest.”

“I will tell you everything I can when I return in three days' time. I fear if I start now, you'll only have questions I cannot yet answer.”

“W-wait!” Prompto piped up, holding his hands in the air in front of himself. “Before you go, how _did_ you know we were summoned here. I mean, before you sent those two out for us?”

“Hmn. An unfortunate intake of knowledge, but also–”

Cor raised his hand up. A slender katana materialised in his grasp. With his free hand, he motioned wrapping something around the scabbard. Noctis jerked forward suddenly, slapping a hand against the wooden floor underneath him. A red ribbon led from underneath his robes, wrapped around Cor's sword, and led to Cor's hand. The ribbon wrapped around his tightly clenched fist an innumerable amount of times. Whatever excess there was was crushed in Cor's fist. He stared at Noctis with an unreadable expression.

“We're bound by fate,” he said simply. “While my connection with you four varies to some extent, my strongest bond is with Noctis here. I owe his father nothing but my loyalty, and my debt is repaid through his royal blood.”

He opened out his hands. The sword and ribbon disappeared. Noctis immediately brought his hand against his chest, taking in shuddering breaths. Gladio and Prompto placed their hands on his back, but he recovered quickly enough. Ignis and Cor watched– Ignis somewhat helplessly. He turned his attention when Cor soon came to his feet.

“I've to leave, but I'll return soon,” he repeated to them all as he made his exit. Ignis ducked his head in respect as Cor passed by. Without turning his head, he heard the footsteps stop behind him. “I'm incredibly relieved to see all of you are okay.”

“Come back safe, okay?” Prompto said.

Cor made a noise of agreement and slipped past the curtains. The unnatural stillness left with him, but there was still the remnants of tranquility. Ignis let out a long breath and moved to kneel in front of Noctis. He reached up to the mask, wanting to remove it but deciding not to. Noctis was still shuddering, body swaying as he tried to catch his breath. That ribbon… Ignis could only wonder if it was truly that unpleasant or if whatever was happening with Noctis was just reacting poorly.

More questions he had, and his only source of answers just walked out of the room. For now, he just resigned himself to spinning the questions over and over in his head. He moved a hand to Noctis' shoulder.

“Come, Noctis. You need to be somewhere you can rest.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cor is definitely one of those full name type of guys. I always feel weird when I don't call him "Cor Leonis", but I tried to restrict it in this chapter, haha. Let me know how I did. orz


	5. To Smile Without Worry

Ignis saw to it that Noctis was left alone. Prompto, needing to shake off the stress of the day (the _year_ , really) went to the lake to decompress. Gladio stayed in the other room, staring outside with a meditative stillness much like the Shogun's– only his aura was far less oppressive and was a soul deep sort of calm. It was as if Gladio merely existed in the moment as a statue. He was granted his peace as well. Now alone, Ignis was left with little else to do aside from wandering the halls. Well, he paced; much was on his mind, and now he was left to ruminate all that Cor Leonis had told them, which, when everything was considered, wasn't much.

He focused on what they had. Cor was fighting in a war they knew nothing of. A war… Ignis wondered how long it had been going on. Cor even said that his Army was spread across _several_ realms. It was troubling… Ignis thought back as far as he could, trying in vain to pinpoint when everything could have started or what could have been the catalyst. There had been tension in their realm, this he felt no trouble with. A lot of the tension was a lot of blustering on the behalf of newborn scions trying to find their place in the world. He had noticed scions new and old who tried to challenge the Old Balance, and there were those who wanted to merge certain realms that seemed “wayward” or “preciously hopeless”. In fact, the past hundred years or so had been a wild mess of fluctuation power, of scions slowly breaking up the stale, hierarchical routine. The progress was small, and overall, it _was_ just a lot of talk. Scions hungry for something new were _always_ talk, but nothing came to pass that would have started a riot.

Ignis ran his thumb over his button lip as he drifted further through Cor's home. He moved along, trying to think of the scions who _were_ making changes. From what he noticed, a lot of the small progress that had been made that he noticed were just done. There was no real aim or final agenda behind them. He supposed it was just old things falling away to time, making way for new, more useful methods. Meager changes but enough. His mind went higher to something more frequent, louder than the scions who begged like whiny children for something new: power struggles. Power struggles happened often. Crowned and battle-minded scions settled their differences in a plethora of ways but very little ever came out of it that deserved Ignis' attention. From what he knew, it had always been this way, long before his creation, and there had been actual wars, of course. But in the end, it was easy to trace what started them. He turned a corner and sighed. He couldn't find a catalyst, not this way. He moved his thoughts forward to something else that Cor mentioned.

The Slumber of Archades……

There was so much that Ignis still didn't know about this world. He had explored as much as was necessary during their search for Noctis, and while many landmarks on gave him a vague sense of direction, he at least knew _of_ Archades. He knew it as one of this world's most powerful military capitals. After they first settled down at Dethrel, he had spotted a group of Archadian soldiers after a strange incident had occurred down in Bafsk. He learned, without great detail, about its power and the disputes that had gone on with its crown. It was a sordid history, but there were many tricky politicks in this world. Admittedly, he had shut his mind away from most of it to focus on the task at hand.

But now his exclusivity has isolated him; he had little knowledge to glean from about what the humans in this world knew. Ignis curled his fingers against his mouth, staring blankly at the floor. He would have to ask around, listen to the whispers and the rumours if there were anyway. Who– outside of Noah and Vossler– would have known about what was going on. And speaking _of_ them, Ignis was surprised to learn that Cor had brought in those two humans into his ranks. Ignis' mind was racing now. How had Cor handled all of this?

From what Ignis could understand, Cor was working tirelessly on his mission– whatever it was, and Ignis was both glad and amazed that their paths ended up crossing. While finding Noctis was of the highest priority to Ignis, Cor seemed to be dealing with machinations far greater than any of them could yet understand. Ignis stopped, covered his mouth, and sighed. There was so much to consider, and the more he tried to sort his thoughts out, the more clouded his mind became. He slid his hand up to his hair, clenching onto the spiky locks in frustration. He needed to write his thoughts down somewhere, but he didn't—

 _Ignis,_ a voice called out for him, effectively pulling him out of his thoughts. Ignis shook his head and refocused on the world around him. Gladio's calm voice was calling out for him, and so Ignis decided to follow after it. He turned around, following Gladio's energy signature down the hall and around a corner. He allowed the familiar energy to soothe him and pull him out of the maddening circle of thoughts he had trapped himself in. When he came close to the source, he stood in front of the room Noctis was resting inside of. He touched his left hand to the wall, using the other to push open the door. He looked down to see both Gladio and Noctis resting inside on a series of pillows and blankets, creating a cushioned sleeping area.

“Look who made a nest,” Gladio said, smiling down at Noctis.

Noctis was tucked against Gladio's form and he seemed rather comfortable with himself. Ignis let out a little huff of laughter and stepped further into the room. Even with all the blankets and all the pillows, it looked as if Gladio had been called on to serve as a pillow as well– and possible security blanket. Ignis chuckled when he was closer, drawing his right hand up as he smiled against his curled fingers. Gladio looked up at him, brow raised, smirk on his face. He had his left arm around Noctis; his right hand was behind his head.

“A well-made nest. You both look rather comfortable.”

“You know it. If anyone knows how to make himself at home, it's this one right here.” Gladio lifted his hand up from Noctis' hip and pointed down at the dozing scion before lowering it back down.

Ignis nodded quietly. That much was true. He sat down relatively close to the duo. He touched his back to the wall, stretched one leg out forward, and drew the other up. He wrapped his sleeves about his arms and curled his fingers around the overlapping edges of his sleeves before he could fully relax.

“He's knocked out cold,” Gladio muttered in a low, warm voice.

“I'm surprised.” Ignis tilted his head towards Noctis. “After his rest, you'd think he'd be awake for a week.”

A chuckle. “Doubt we coulda handled it. Noct all wired up after sleeping for so long? Who knows what that would do.” Gladio shook his head at the thought. “Right now… I'm just glad he's safe.”

Ignis leaned his head back against the wall and stared up at the ceiling. “Me too.”

There was a brief moment of silence. Yes, after all that had happened, he was beyond relieved that Noctis was safe and sound. Now that his mind wasn't racing and tripping over himself, he tried to take a moment to gather his thoughts into a coherent train. Maybe if he streamed what he was feeling and thinking to Gladio directly, he could get some help on the matter, but. Hm… No, that would probably just bring a lot of unnecessary strife to Gladio. Since Ignis didn't know what needed his primary attention, he would just be asking for added trouble and confusion if he brought someone else into this. He sighed through his nose, chest depressing as he let out a long exhale. He was thankful when Gladio broke the silence between them.

“Seeing Cor again, having Noctis, Vossler and Noah…” Gladio scoffed in disbelief. “Those two… Today was a wild day, full of surprises. Couldn't have expected things to turn out the way they did, but… Here we are.” Gladio lifted his hand up slightly, fingers motioning vaguely, before once again settling it down on Noctis' side.

“Here we are…” Ignis repeated. “With Noctis here now, we've at least accomplished our original, but now… There's so much more ahead of us.” He turned his head to look down towards Noctis, who slept peacefully through their talk. “And about Noctis… I'm worried. His behaviour is unusual. He moves… as if he's broken.”

Gladio frowned. “Yeah… I was thinking on it myself. Maybe the nethicite had something to do with it. I know that it's in the same family as magicite, and as I told Prompto, it has one hell of a punch. I wish I knew more about it.” He looked to the wall at his right. “Couldn't even recognise it when I saw it.”

“We'll learn,” Ignis assure. “We'll _have_ to. We're just glad Prompto didn't touch the crystal.”

Gladio nodded, but then his expression shifted. He smirked at Ignis as he stroked his hand comfortingly over Noctis' side. For all the world, he looked a bit like an evil genius.

“I'll leave the books to you,” Gladio said. “Let me know what you find.”

He and Ignis shared a smile. Ignis bowed his head slightly. “I'll be sure to do that.”

Gladio curled his fingers, scratching idly against Noctis' clothes. “You know… It's good to finally see someone from the home realm, especially after being summoned here.”

Ignis looked down to the ground, drawing a leg closer. “Ah, the home realm… What happened there?”

Gladio gave an inexpressive grunt. Again, silence settled between them, and Ignis would have allowed it for a longer duration if there wasn't the unfathomable weight of their future wasn't bearing down upon him. He shook himself out of it by asking Gladio a question.

“In Bhujerba… why did you give them your name?”

A moment of thought before: “Who? Quinlan?”

“Yes.”

Gladio laughed a bit, and that chipped away at the weight. “I liked their moxie. Who knows. They could even be the royal caterer for this guy.”

“Do you wish to have them flown down here at your behest?”

“I was counting on it,” Gladio joked. “Besides, it was the best damn food I've had in a year. Seemed only polite to return the honour.”

“I wonder if they know they've made a powerful ally.”

“Let's not ruin the surprise.”

Ignis side glanced over to Gladio and was warmed by the cocky smile that was flashed his way. He felt a lot more relaxed, though that invisible burden was still there on his spirit.

“Do you still have your phoenix powder on you?”

“Yeah,” Gladio responded. “Why? You want a hit?”

Ignis waved a curled hand, fingers still securing the sleeves curled about his arms. “No, but let's all have some when Noctis wakes up. He could use the energy.”

“Or might make the guy high out of his head.”

Ignis chuckled then, his hand setting on his inner thigh. “We'll take that gamble.”

The following silence stretched on without interruption from either of them, especially as Gladio's energy began to wane and quiet. Ignis looked over and noticed that his friend had actually fallen asleep. It was the only sensible thing to do. Gladio's and Noctis' soft breathing undercut the silence. Ignis watched them for a moment, happy for the peace that they slept so comfortably in. He then climbed to his feet and made his way out of the room. He slid the door closed behind him, pausing before carrying on.

Now… what was Prompto up to? Ignis crossed through Cor's meditation room, stepped onto the veranda, and headed down the slender stairs that led down to the ground level. When he touched down on the grass, he curved around the stairs and walked under the house towards the lake. He could see Prompto relaxing in the lake. Prompto's arms were drawn back, forearms resting against the shore. His clothes and accessories were gathered in a heap a bit away from the water's edge. His shoes were turned upside down and were resting atop the pile. Ignis approached, and Prompto turned quickly to face him. His blue eyes shone warily, but once Prompto realised who it was, he relaxed immediately. He grinned up at Ignis as he drew his hands below the water.

“Hey, Iggy. How's everything?”

“Going well. Noctis and Gladio are sleeping. Outside of fatigue, nothing seems to be wrong with either of them.”

Prompto gave a halfhearted laugh and leaned back against the shore once again. He slowly started sinking underwater, and Ignis came to stand behind him.

Prompto said, “I'm surprised Noctis isn't awake forever at this rate.”

Ignis chuckled softly. “I expressed a similar sentiment.”

He watched as Prompto sank down further until the water covered the bridge of his nose. Soft bubbles broke the surface just in front of the blond's face, and Ignis drew his attention to the world around them. It was beautiful here. Ignis could see why Cor chose to retreat here. There were some spots were flowers were blooming. Most of the flowers grew close to the ground with their wide, open petals, but there were a few that stood tall and swayed gently in the slight breeze. He compared this sight to that of Dethrel, which was built atop the mountain range and peered down into the busy valleys. It was a nice place to call home; they knew the community there incredibly well. Ignis brought a hand up to his mouth and deliberated. He wondered if there would be a risk in taking Noctis back to Dethrel. It was a blessed place, and his spirit could be soothed, but there were also innocent people there. Once they learned the scale of this world, maybe they could—

“You're thinking again.”

Ignis blinked suddenly. He brought his hand away from his face and started down at Prompto. Prompto watched him quietly. He crossed his arms over the earth; trails of water ran down his arms and along his cheeks. Concern shone in his eyes, and the sunlight just made the hue of his blue eyes seem that much more radiant. Ignis met Prompto's worried gaze evenly, feeling a bit guilty for getting lost in thought once again.

“I know a lot has happened, but try to lighten up, okay?” Prompto began. “I don't want to think about how long it is before things get intense again. So let's just… enjoy yourselves, you know? Whenever Cor gets back, that's when you can put on your serious face.” Prompto brought his hands up to his own face and tugged the corners of his lips down with his index fingers.

Ignis smirked, chuckling at the exaggerated frown. He sighed softly and placed his hands on his hips. Well, when Prompto was right, he was right. Ignis had already suffered through the mental fog once today; there was no point in putting himself through more anguish.

“What do you propose instead?”

Prompto brightened then, very much embodying the Sun. “To quote a wise saying, 'Come on in! The water's fine!'”

He pushed away from the shore and opened out his arms. There was a bit of splash back, but Ignis didn't mind too much. He chuckled at the saying and began to undress as well. He pulled off his tunic and folded them neatly. He slipped off his shoes but kept on his trousers. They were roomy but not so spacious that they would slow him down in the water. He turned his shoes over, setting them down onto his tunic. He then removed his earrings and set them down between his overturned shoes. He adjusted the half-rim glasses on his nose but kept them on.

“Poor Iggy. Can't see without your glasses?” Prompto teased as his friend joined him in the water.

“It's just more convenient to keep them on.”

“Aww, come on. It's not like someone's gonna break them.”

“Well, you're here,” Ignis replied coolly, playing off his jab with a smile, “and it's only a matter of time before something ends up in its improper place.”

Prompto touched a hand to his chest; his other hand went to his waist which was underwater. “I resent that,” he said in a posh tone, almost perfectly mimicking Ignis.

Ignis noticed this and stared down at his friend. Prompto grinned up at him in return. Ignis gave a slight shake of his head before stepping down into the water to join Prompto. The water was nice and cool against his skin, contrasting wonderfully with the comforting, warm air around them. As they floated around in the water and as Ignis peered around every now and again, he realised that this was exactly what he needed. The scene was serene and undisturbed. Birds flew in the horizon, singing as they passed uniformly through the air. Ignis felt _mostly_ guilt-free as he allowed himself to enjoy the moment. Maybe things would change the minute Cor came back. Maybe things would get 'intense' as Prompto had said before, but Ignis didn't want to think about it. At least, not right now.

Instead, he merely focused on his company. It was nice spending time with Prompto. They talked about a variety of things. They talked seriously for the most part but with such a neutral air about each topic. It was a little strange for Ignis who was used to some degree of severity, but he welcomed this change just as he was welcoming everything else. After making a profound point in their conversation, Prompto cupped his hands in the water and let it pour down over his head. He washed his face with a rough scrub of his palms. Ignis shook his glasses out, flicking most of the moisture off his lenses.

“You know. You're being really mature about this,” he teased Prompto as he set his glasses atop his head.

Prompto touched his chest again, playfully affronted. “I'm mature.”

“In that you've gotten past puberty.”

“Hey!” He swiped water at Ignis, causing the bespectacled scion to flinch away with a smirk. “ _That_ is a human thing, and even still, I'm _way_ more mature that that.”

“He says splashing water at me,” Ignis said aloud.

“What, like this?”

Prompto splashed the water again. Ignis brought his arms up over his face and soon lowered them down in the water to return the assault. Some mindless fun wouldn't kill him, now would it? Ignis ducked beneath the water and kicked forward, using the floor of the lake as leverage. His arms curled around Prompto's middle, and Ignis pushed downward, dragging the blond under the water with him. Prompto gave a little shout; his hands went to Ignis' shoulder, trying to tug away from his companion, but Ignis held him tight. Ignis swam hard, pushing Prompto to the center of the lake before letting go. He resurfaced and pulled his glasses off his head, running his fingers through his now wavy, wet hair.

Prompto resurfaced with a dramatic gasp and slapped his hands on the surface, splashing Ignis repeatedly with little waves. Ignis jerked back out of reflex, and his back hit the water. Prompto let out a victorious whoop. Ignis smiled as he floated and stared up at the sky. A few clouds had drifted overhead, fat and soft in the air. Prompto waded closer, smiling down at Ignis as he did. Aah, there was that magnificent smile of his. Ignis truly thought that, out of all of them, he enjoyed Prompto's smile the most.

“Good to see you relaxing for once, Iggy,” Prompto said. He then tilted his head back and stared at the clouds as well.

“I suppose it doesn't hurt.” Ignis turned onto his stomach and slipped his glasses back onto his head once again. “Come. After we dry off, perhaps we can follow in Gladio and Noctis' footsteps.”

“Right behind ya!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the shorter chapter, but I needed this.


	6. Between Two Planes

Prompto and Ignis pulled out of the lake water. They were dripping wet, and their trousers were soaked through. Ignis was still adamant about not wandering through Cor's home and snooping through his things. They would have trailed water onto the hardwood flooring if they did anyway. After a moment of deliberation, Ignis tilted his head towards Prompto, giving him a pointed look and raising a brow. Prompto perked up, staring up at his companion before catching on.

        “One air dry, coming up!”

That was about as much of a warning as Ignis was going to get anyway. Prompto barely needed to prepare. His power was always bubbling beneath the surface, looking for an excuse to come out, and this was such an excuse. Prompto circled his arms in front of his body before touching his wrists together and turning his hands over. Wind began to collect quickly around their feet. Ignis knew better than to glance down into the twister (he had made that mistake once before) but quickly braced himself as Prompto shot his hands up into the air. Both of them were encapsulated by the twisting winds. Ignis felt the tugs at his skin; his clothing pulled tight over his legs, but the winds didn't _hurt,_ per say. They were just powerful.

He kept his middle finger touched against the bridge of his glasses, keeping them fixed to his face as he has experienced them flying off _many_ times before because of Prompto's winds. Once the twister died down, Prompto lowered his hands at his sides. Their hair was a mess. Or at least, Prompto's was. Ignis could only assume that his own hair was askew and wind tussled just the same. They gathered their clothes and headed inside, not really caring at that moment to get dressed. Ignis placed his stack of clothes down on the floor once they reached Cor's meditation room. Prompto repeated the action before jogging out of the room, eyes wide and youthful.

Ignis watched his companion for a moment before letting out a quiet sigh. He pushed his glasses up his head, letting the spectacles push back his tussled hair. He closed his eyes. This time when he reviewed everything that happened in the past twenty-four hours, he did so with a clear head. It was still a tad bit overwhelming to really grasp what happened. They found Noctis; they found _Cor_ as accidental as that was on their parts. In all of this, a very important question came to Ignis, and it was almost _laughable_ that he was thinking about this now.

What happened to their King…?

His eyes opened slowly upon the realisation. They were half-lidded at first before opening completely. He stared out to the world as he had done so many times in the brief while he had been here. He felt a lot calmer; he felt…

A blanket being brought around his shoulders.

He looked up and to the left towards Prompto, who met Ignis' gaze and smiled as he squatted down. “Here, here,” he said, dropping down a pillow under his knees before gesturing the other towards his companion. Ignis took the pillow and lifted himself up slightly to sit on the item. Once he sat down proper, Prompto drew his end of the blanket closer and nestled into Ignis. He leaned his head on Ignis' shoulder and tilted his head up slightly, meeting Ignis' curious gaze.

        “What? I got this from Noctis' room.”

        Noctis' room. Ignis chuckled. “So we're staking a claim already.”

        “C'mon. Cor wouldn't mind,” Prompto mumbled, closing his eyes as he nuzzled his cheek on Ignis' shoulder.

Ignis sighed. Perhaps that was true. With one hand, he swung his blanket closer to himself. He wrapped his left arm around Prompto's back and set his hand on his friend's hip. Prompto wasn't sleep, that much Ignis could tell, but they had both settled into a perfect silence. They were merely statues in the world, cosmic decorations to set the seat.

Ignis closed his eyes, and for a while, he lost time.

 

When he woke up again, his arms were around Prompto proper. They had both actually fallen asleep and how long that had taken Ignis wasn't actually sure. Their pillows were under their hips, leaving their heads improperly comforted during their rest. In spite of this, Ignis woke up without a crick in his neck. He was simply groggy.

        “Mornin', sleepy head,” came a raspy, teasing voice. Ignis sat up properly and saw Noctis standing outside, gazing at the waterfall. Noctis turned his head slightly. “Actually, it's like… afternoon? Something. Welcome back.”

He turned fully and walked closer. He also had a blanket wrapped around himself. Ignis didn't actually remember seeing any covers when he visited Noctis and Gladio in the room earlier, though it was such a minor detail it could have simply gone forgotten. Or they went raiding Cor's closets. Hm. Better this than skeletons.

        Ignis righted his glasses on his face, but Noctis squatted down and plucked the spectacles from his friend's face. Ignis opened his mouth to protest but merely sighed. “You're in a good mood,” he said instead.

        In a gesture much like Ignis, Noctis pushed the glasses up with his middle finger and gave a brief nod of his head. “Quite.”

        Ignis snorted and looked down to Prompto. “Where's Gladio?” he asked the still awake scion.

        “Wandering around. I dunno.” Noctis stood up and began pacing around the room. “This is weird, isn't it?”

        Ignis set his right arm on his drawn up leg and said, “I've been ruminating on these past events.”

        “Not surprised. You were probably even dreaming about it, weren't you?”

In spite of it being good natured fun on his behalf, Ignis wasn't actually sure. As a reflex, he went to push up his glasses but soon realised they weren't there. He smoothed his hands up into his hair which hadn't been helped a single bit by his sleep. He reached up both hands and ruffled the locks. He heard Noctis chuckle. Well, at least someone was amused in all of this.

        “Are you feeling alright?” Ignis asked, bringing his hands down into his lap. “Everything considered, your behaviour has been a little odd since we've gathered you.”

By now, Noctis made a full lap and slowed his steps when he came in front of Ignis. Ignis saw the blanket shift slightly as Noctis grabbed both ends with one hand. He extended his freed right hand from under the folds and stared blankly at his palm.

        “I feel…” He curled his hand into a fist. “I don't really know how to describe how I 'feel'. It's like everything's the slightest bit off. Or like I'm moving too fast or moving too slowly.”

        “What do you mean?”

        There was a long moment of silence. Noctis closed his eyes and placed his hand on his head. He sighed in frustration. “I don't really know. And how blind are you, anyway? You don't actually need these, do you?”

Noctis opened his eyes and gestured to the glasses. Ignis came up to his feet to approach his friend. He smiled, seeing that Noctis was staring crosseyed at the spectacles. It was actually a little cute. He reached up with both hands to remove the frames from Noctis' face.

        “You'd be surprised,” was all he said to the prince's comments.

He set his glasses upon his face and looked to Noctis, who he felt he was seeing for the first time. It had only been a year since they had seen each other, but that was far too long in Ignis' opinion. Noctis met Ignis' gaze easily, but after a few moments of silence, he shifted uneasily in place.

        Noctis scoffed and turned his head away. “What?”

        Ignis felt himself smile. “Nothing. It's just good to see you.”

        “Nn, hey, Noct…” Prompto groaned as he groggily woke from his sleep.

        “Mornin', Prom.”

        “Now all we need is Gladio, and we'll have a full party,” Ignis stated, crossing his arms.

        “And I have arrived,” said Gladio as he rounded the corner, entering into the room. “Good to see everyone's on the awake side.”

Ignis gently touched Noctis' elbow with his right hand before gesturing to the pillow with his left. Noctis moved to sit, and Ignis sat down to Noctis' left. Gladio went to join them, filling in the empty space as Prompto slowly sat himself up. Ignis watched Prompto fuss with the blanket in the corner of his eye, but he looked over to Gladio, nodding his head slightly.

        Gladio grunted and reached into his pocket, pulling out his silver compact. “Lookit what Luna gave us, Noct.”

        “What is that…?”

        “Phoenix powder. Think you're up for it?”

        “Hell yeah.” As he spoke, Noctis stuck his right hand out for the compact.

        Ignis reached over and pressed two fingers to Noctis' wrist, his other fingers touching against the prince's arm. “Steady on. You _just_ came back to us.”

        Noctis clicked his tongue but didn't argue. Prompto sat up quickly before searching himself for his own compact. “I don't think it'll be too good if we doubled up,” Prompto offered, looking between the others.

        Ignis debated on how hard he wanted to chaperon before deciding to loosen up on his own strictures just this once. “If we take in small doses, doubling will be fine.”

        “ _Now_ you're fun,” Noctis said, smiling as he did.

Gladio and Prompto laughed before opening their compacts and pinching the powder between their fingers. As they took the powder, Gladio extended his compact out to Ignis and Prompto to Noctis. The two then took their share. Ignis leaned his head back, touching his index finger and thumb under his tongue and smoothing the powder underneath his tongue. Immediately, there was a jolt in his head. His spirit felt separated from his body, and he was acute of all his senses. That wall that separated the mind's awareness was slowly crumbling down. For Ignis, it was always a shock when he first took phoenix powder, especially after taking a break. He then switched over with Noctis and repeated the gesture. By the time he handed Prompto's compact over to Gladio, the world around Ignis doubled.

The line between realms shifted for a bit as their energy flowed freely. Ignis imagined their rooms at Dethrel and the soft comfort of his own bed. The illusion began to form behind him, and Gladio and Prompto followed suit. Cor's room was suddenly one of relative luxury. Drapery fell over the opened doorways; thick pillows were nested under and around the group. The faint smell of incense permeated Ignis' senses. He shook his head slightly, feeling his body sway from the drug's influence.

Ignis' eyes became a stunning shade of green as his power flared up through his body, resonating in a comforting aura. He felt himself growl in content and placed a hand against his chest. Gladio was leaning back, his hands behind his head. His appearance was otherwise unchanged. Outside of the familiarity of the other's aura, Ignis could see nothing off about him. The same could be said of Prompto, who stared dreamily off into another world – probably one only he could see. With a degree of hesitance, Ignis turned his gaze over towards Noctis. He was admittedly worried about what he would see.

Noctis' eyes were the same subtle blue, even when they shone. His head was tilted back, lips slightly parted. His aura trailed upward into the air, a thin grey colour. It looked very much like smoke. Ignis leaned over and examined his companion closer. Noctis was breathing, steadily. Nothing seemed outwardly or spiritually wrong with him.

As he drew away, Noctis turned to him again with that alarming speed and held Ignis' face between his hands. Noctis' eyes were still blue, but there was a red undertone that was slowly taking over them.

        _“Live here, or live there- we will continue on…”_

        “Noctis?” Ignis kept any emotion from his voice or face, but riddles weren't Noctis' style of speech.

        _“That's the mystery, isn't it? What broke? What was?”_

        “You're not making any sense.”

        Noctis blinked. His eyes were a striking red. He frowned slightly and tugged at the corner of Ignis' lips with his thumbs. _“If my resurrection could mean one thing, would what that meaning be? You think hard; you think a lot. We live in mysteries, but we are mysterious not.”_

And he was gone again. Noctis was back in his spot, but this time, he was staring out towards the drapery that only existed in this world. Ordinarily, Ignis might have left it alone, but like this, he was curious. Hell, he was _worried_. He reached out for his friend and slid his hands over Noctis' shoulders. He pulled himself closer and drew Noctis back against his chest. He let go of his energy, completely letting his guard down as he appealed to Noctis.

        “Open up to me.”

It was as simple as that.

He heard Prompto and Gladio react in surprise, but neither felt alarmed enough to intervene. Noctis and Ignis' spirits intertwined, peeling away at their human disguises and revealing their true natures. With Ignis' power, they were able to contain themselves within a dome of Demi magic. Ignis felt his claws touching against Noctis' armour. The shift did not deter him. He did not let go.

He stared down into Noctis' lap, seeing the prince was holding his majestic helm between his fine hands. The base of the horns sprouted out from the helmet before curving inward slightly and then pointing outward to either side. Alarm rang in Ignis' head instantly.

In Noctis' true form, the horns on his helm came from his very head. They sprouted up from the prince's skull and the helm fitted naturally around them. Ignis brought a hand up to Noctis' head, fearing the worse until he felt the prince's forehead under his palm. He relaxed just slightly as he slid his hand down. Dread set in once again when he felt that the prince's face was completely smooth. His features weren't there.

Ignis hoped and prayed that it was merely a vision of dread that he was experiencing, but he heard Noctis' strange and doubled voice again just below the two of them. Coming from the helm.

_“That's the mystery, isn't it? What broke? What was?”_

Ignis closed his eyes and pushed away the sickness that loomed in his spirit. There was something terribly off about the way that Noctis was, and if this was the cause of exposure to nethicite, they would have to wrangle the substance at once. Ignis placed his hands on either side of Noctis' head, cupping his palms over the prince's ears. Noctis' spirit was a whirlwind of noise, but it was nothing too dreadful. It all seemed contained. If there was something to worry about, it would have come out while they were all intoxicated. Oh, how he hoped that was true. At least this way it wouldn't be a surprise.

The dome compressed, drawing into them before collapsing down into the ground. Ignis felt himself revert back to his human form and glanced down through his lashes to see that Noctis had done the same.

        “Everything… okay?” Prompto asked.

        Ignis drew his hands away and went back into his sitting place. “Just fine. Another hit for me,” he said. 

There was much to think about, but his mind wasn't quite prepared for it. In fact, he would think about this much, much later.

 

The next day, Ignis had decided to fall back on his urges and ended up wandering Cor's house just as he adamantly wanted not to do. He kept his nose out of most of the rooms only peeking in past cracked doors to see what lay beyond them. When he found a study of sorts, he let himself in. He needed pen and a paper, and nothing else would suffice. He rubbed his forehead to get rid of the dull throbbing. That's what he got for taking Phoenix all night. No matter, it wouldn't deter him. He set down to writing his thoughts.

He rehashed what happened in his dome. _Noctis with two faces?_ he scribbled onto the paper, but somehow that seemed wrong. _Noctis with two heads and a mask with no features_. That seemed a bit closer to the truth. Noctis did have a mask that he wore more or less at his own leisure, to avoid conversation or take time to himself. But the second voice? The second head that wore the helm within the dome? This filled up many of Ignis' pages. For the first three pages, he felt bad that he was using Cor's resources, but by page fourteen, he was completely absorbed in his own mind.

He wrote his theories, first on the nethicite. It was incomplete at first, filled with unsure guessing based on what little he had experienced. But then he fell into his old habits. He went through the books that Cor had at his disposal in this room. He found a book on magicite – nethicite was merely referenced – but it was enough to keep him going again. As he read through his written pages, he found things to revoke or reiterate with a clearer standing.

By early afternoon, he found all that he had to say. He would show this to Cor. He carefully folded and ripped the other paper he wrote on that was filled with inconclusive things and uncertainties. He then stuffed those pages into the book he had borrowed. His finished writings were stacked neatly together. He folded the top left corner and applied an inhuman pressure to keep them held together. The papers went on top of the book, and Ignis carried them all with him out of the room. He didn't feel better about what crossed his mind, but he at least knew what he would say if here was anything left for him to say at all.

He walked into what was now Noctis' resting room and fund the others piled there still knocked out together after their mutual high. Ignis rubbed his fingers against the bridge of his nose, briefly wondering if he should go and join them. But there was the feeling of something crossing behind him. He jolted suddenly and closed the door quickly but quietly. He held his place and waited quietly. He narrowed his eyes at the nothingness, briefly wondering if it was actually something or if his mind was playing tricks on him considering everything he had been fretting about.

After a long moment, Ignis pulled open the door once again and set the papers down on the untouched table in the corner of the room. Prompto let out a fitful noise in his sleep. Ignis glanced over just in time to see the blond roll over and press his face against Gladio's stomach. Joining them was tempting, but his mind was working too seriously for him to get any sleeping done.

He exited once again and went to take a walk around their little hideout. He went from one corner of the land to the other. Cor's field of protection reached out a fair distance. Ignis was sure that, if he flew over the mountains, he could have felt the field on the other side. He didn't. He wanted to keep his feet on the ground for a while. Ignis placed his hands behind his back and doubled around, curving around the house and making his way towards the waterfalls again. It was pleasantly warm here. It was enough to make him wish they could just live here privately, but there was something much greater, much stranger, at risk.

Even still, he couldn't help but think about Cor walking here in much the same way he was now. The Immortal Shogun seemed like the type to take meditative walks or even enjoy the relative peaceful that this place seemed to bring on its own. With Ignis' busy mind, he felt as if the Shogun was walking with him now, side by side and falling in step with the troubled scion. Ignis tilted his head slightly, but still he chanced a glance over to his left as if he wanted to make sure.

As he turned again, having reached the waterfalls, Ignis looked upon the house and swore he saw a shadow moving inward. He briefly wondered if taking Phoenix was a good idea or if it was the cause of his problems in the first place. He shook his head and realised that he was probably just troubling himself too much, juggling all the problems that were at hand.

Ignis unfolded his hands and lowered them at his sides. As he began forward, glittering mass materialised just ahead of him. The mass combined into a sheet of paper that had a soft glow about it. Ignis reached up for it. The scribing was very simple and to the point.

 _I will be back in three days_. It was written by Cor. Naturally.

Ignis let out a soft hum, rubbed his fingers against the paper, and watched as it became an ephemeral light in his hands. He fanned out his fingers, turning over his hand as the item and light disappeared right in front of him. Ignis soon dropped his hand at his side once again.

Well. Having word from the man himself, Ignis decided that he would just head inside. If he took a page from Noctis' book and slept for three days, nobody would blame him, would they? If they asked, he would just say he had a lot on his mind. Surely, they would understand that.


	7. We, Together, Can Do No Wrong

If Ignis had to describe the day after, it would have be “domestic”. In a sense, everything was much as it was before. After two days and a morning in Cor's home, they had firmly decided to settle in. It would be their place for another two days and a half before Cor returned to them and brought with him the weight of all worlds. Cor's hideout was their little sanctuary, their private little haven in which they could deny all that was happening for a little while.

Ignis wasn't torn by this decision. Rather, he was the one to encourage it. It wasn't to protect one single mind but all of their well-being. There was so much already happening without them; wheels were turning in a greater machine. Time could wait for a little longer, or so he insisted. Besides, there was the greater puzzle that was Noctis that greatly needed their attention. This, he didn't say as clearly. He didn't want Noctis to feel like an experiment, a threat, or an oddity. He just wasn't completely himself. For the most part, they didn't bring it up, but if Noctis ever acted outside of himself, it was then that they would pay closer attention to him.

Today, on this lovely morning, Gladio helped Ignis cook in the kitchen. Prompto and Noctis lay in a tangle of limbs in the resting room, talking about visions and sharing illusions while high on phoenix powder. Ignis pulled up a ladle from the soup, and Gladio dipped his pinky in, sucking on the tip before giving a pleased nod of his head.

        “Tastes good, Iggy,” he said, reaching behind him to grab the lid and set it over the pot.

        “I've learned a few things in Dethrel that wasn't all books.” He hooked the ladle at the edge of the pot, adjusting the lid to rest against the handle without shifting.

Gladio turned back to the oven, turning over kebabs of meat and sliced peppers on the grill compartment. The spiciest one would be shared between Prompto and Gladio. Noctis might have a bit, Ignis figured, if he was feeling adventurous enough for it. Personally, Ignis didn't care much for spices. His stomach was far too fickle for his liking to accept the flavour. Gladio let out a pleased rumble and folded his arms over his chest. Ignis went to grab drinking glasses from the standing cupboard.

        “So. Gonna fill me in on what you're thinking about?”

        Ignis trailed his fingers against the wood before opening the door. “What do you mean?”

        “I try not to pry,” Gladio closed his eyes slowly, tilted his head slightly to the right, and lifted up his hand from his forearm. “I wanted to hear from your mouth what you've been writing about. You'ven't been the same since that night. What happened with you and Noct?”

Ignis grabbed four glasses. He tucked three into the crook of his left arm. He turned the final glass with his right hand, staring thoughtfully at the item.

        “Did you not ask him?” he asked finally.

        “What would he remember? He's out of it, even I can tell he's fractured still. What happened to him?”

Ignis sighed and shook his head. He walked over to the dining table, passing under an archway into the connected room. He felt Gladio follow, though the other male stopped in the doorway.

        “I'm not sure,” Ignis admitted finally as he set the glasses on the table. “I've been trying to figure it out. He told me that he's disconnected. His movements are often too slow or too fast for the world around him, but I believe it's much more than that. Yes…” He stood up straight, staring down at the identical glasses but feeling some significance in their placement. “I believe that he's fractured as well. Though, I do not know the manner of it.” Ignis turned and looked over towards his companion.

        “It shames me to admit that I do not know much in this regard. To think that Noctis could be enduring some curse or illness that I cannot yet fathom–”

        “Hey, hey. You're not the only one, Ignis.” Gladio pushed away from the doorway and opened out his arms. “Don't make this your responsibility. We're in this together, all four of us. Noctis ain't trying to figure things out without us, and you shouldn't be trying to do the same.”

Ignis looked away and closed his eyes. He heard Gladio say “Hey” and felt the warm touch of Gladio's forehead against his own. Ignis turned his head just slightly and opened his eyes partially. He was frustrated. Things had escaped his understanding, escaped his ability to wrangle some sense in the situation. He knew that overthinking would earn him nothing, and yet it was frustrating all the same… He sighed. Gladio slid his hands down to Ignis' arms and rubbed there soothingly.

        “I will consider easing on my manic mission,” Ignis said, trying his hand at a joke right now. “I wanted to admit my findings when Cor came around.”

        “I understand that.” Gladio smiled slightly.

Ignis flicked his gaze up to meet his companion's. At this close range, Ignis felt his eyes cross just slightly and knew that he was amused by the blurred world at the corners of his vision. Simple things kept him grounded– this ridiculous proximity, the warmth of his friends, the taste of food that was still stewing in the pot. All was not lost; Ignis was not losing his mind yet. There was no point in pushing things that way. He gave another sigh; this time, it was far more cleansing. Gladio leaned back but gave a tentative squeeze of his friend's arms.

They returned to the kitchen. Ignis went back to cooking, taking over most of the stations and finding peace in doing so. Gladio went to make the drinks and reclaimed his place in the archway afterward. He moved to help whenever it was needed, but otherwise, he kept his distance from the food. Ignis felt as if Gladio was merely giving him his much needed peace in this simple dominion. As they spoke, Ignis gave Gladio a small but meaningful smile. Gladio merely waved a hand, but he smiled too.

Ignis had Gladio gather the bowls, and while the food was ladled into the bowls, Gladio went off to fetch the lazy scions from the resting room. Ignis took the acts of serving food and setting the tables with great ease. He wiped the rounded lip of one of the bowls with his thumb and found the squeak of porcelain a strange delight. It wasn't long before the others joined him.

Eating was another comfort, Ignis discovered. After being separated and frantic for so long, it was nice to just have everyone relaxing over a simple meal. Seeing Noctis without all of his layers in a simple black sleeveless top made things feel more like 'home' as well. They caught Noctis up on all he had missed in the year. They told him of Dethrel on the Hill, of the followers there who knew them by name but not by kind. The humans there knew that they were special, enlightened, but none could place much more. They told him of the neighbouring cities and the people they had met as they searched for the prince. Noctis made a few comments during the review – “Let's go there again.” “I want to eat that.” “… Huh, sounds stupid.” – but otherwise, he was quiet.

They then retraced the steps of the fateful day they went to the Lhusu Mines. They spoke of Al-Cid and his strange mannerisms, of the nu mou innkeeper, and Quinlan, Gladio's new favourite chef. After all the dishes had been finished and collected, Ignis opened the floor to talk about what happened when he was first summoned.

To be honest, he barely remembered, but that was the tale in and of itself. Amnesia was a possible side effect of being forcefully summoned, but it wasn't exactly common with their kind. Not really. One could have their powers taken away, have their vision obscured or otherwise impaired, or even die— and those things were often times more common than strict amnesia. But that was a statistic Ignis didn't wish to focus on.

He remembered bits and pieces. He remembered rain, and then he remembered mud. He remembered being covered in some sort of sludge; the dark gooeyness that covered his arms and talons. He remembered, very briefly, heat beyond all measure, and then he found Dethrel. And since that point, he was taken in by the followers of Dethrel and was allowed to regain his bearings for as long as he would need to. That place then became a sanctuary, a nice little safe haven as he went out to find Prompto and Gladio. His duty was first in his mind. He did try to find Noctis first, but it was all in vain. The connections he had made either knew nothing of the mines or wouldn't have considered it as options.

Prompto spoke of how he was stranded in a strange, desertland. He came across a group of strangely dressed people who spoke a tongue that he soon learned. “It was like… decryption. Was kinda cool,” he said with a grin on his face. He described this race of people with their spiral pupils and their bare-minimum dress. They had wild vehicles to cross the land and were an excitable group. Prompto found his way easily among them, and they were very helpful in helping him learn the lay of the hemisphere he was on.

        He knew he _had_ his powers, but he spent most of his time at Home trying to figure out how even to use them. “When I finally _did_ figure it out, I, uh, managed to cause a sandstorm.”

        “Figures,” Gladio teased.

        “And I _maaaay_ have summoned a few sandworms.”

        “What're those?” Noctis asked with a tilted head and confused expression.

        “—A few?” Gladio interjected.

But Prompto managed to stammer his way past the incredulous reiteration and describe the beasts he both summoned and helped destroy. His discovery of the others tied into Gladio's story. Gladio let out a long breath and admitted how he woke up in this realm as a human. He remembered everything perfectly, but there was nothing he could do about his state. His spiritual energy wasn't anything more than the people around him; he couldn't will anything into being.

        “Hell, I couldn't even _learn_ magick when I got here. It really screwed with my head,” he admitted with a grimace.

He had woken up in the beautiful Costa del Sol, an incredibly laid back place where he didn't feel as _immediately_ freaked out that he was apparently human. He made money by fishing and wrestling some of the seaside baddies that made themselves known. He made have been human, but Gladio was still a strong guy by any standard. Prompto's airship had flown over the small port town and was flying low enough to land safely somewhere in the distance.

        “There was this jolt– this sting that went through my head and my entire body. I knew I had to follow it,” Gladio said. “So I hit up everyone nearby to hunt down where Prompto was gonna land.”

        “We met up at Galbadia!” Prompto said enthusiastically. “He hugged me so tight; I thought I was gonna suffocate.”

        “But that still didn't solve your human problem,” Ignis pointed out, drumming his fingers against his knee.

        Gladio shook his head and said, “That came later, much later. We were looking for you, and Prompto ended up pulling a lot of his weight to help me out.”

        “Hey…” Prompto groaned, turning his head just so.

        Gladio chuckled and wrapped an arm around his friend's neck. “Don't take it so hard,” he teased, squeezing Prompto against his chest. Noctis, who had been listening attentively, let out a long hum and rocked back until he was dangerously close to toppling over.

        “Sounds like you all were busy,” Noctis said.

        Prompto nodded. “We should take you to Dethrel! Honestly… I kinda miss my stuff too.” He gave a sheepish smile as he looked over to the others.

        “It would be nice to have him see where we all came from. Perhaps we could stay there for a time.”

        “I guess we'll see.”

The four jolted at the sudden voice and looked at the doorway. None of the had sensed Cor in the area, and considering how powerful a presence he was, it was more than a little shocking. He brought up a hand to calm everyone before looking to every one of them in turn.

        “You're all alright. Good.”

        “Is something wrong?” Ignis asked, though in the corner of his eye; he could see that Prompto had sat up to ask something, probably the same thing.

        “Nothing more than usual.” He lifted up his other hand, which had been hidden behind his back. He held neatly written pages in his grasp. “I've a bit of reading to do. Afterward, I want to speak with all of you.”

        “Yes sir,” they said in chorus, save Noctis who merely watched Cor Leonis quietly.

        Cor let out a slight huff as he pushed away from the door and turned his back. “Good to have the prince back,” he said as he exited.

Everyone was quiet until they were sure that Cor was, more or less, out of earshot. Prompto immediately leaned over in Ignis' direction.

        “I thought you said he was going to be back in three days,” he harshly whispered, brows creased with concern.

        “That's what the note said,” Ignis replied evenly.

        “Maybe something came up– or ended,” Gladio added, scratching the back of his neck.

        Noctis groaned and moved to lay on his back. “You guys can go talk with him and just give me the abridged version. You're pretty good at that.”

        “Noctis,” Ignis said sternly, watching as Noctis rolled onto his side. “You're coming along as well.”

Noctis only groaned in response, but he didn't argue the point any further. The others shared a look. Prompto sighed before sitting back in his place as he had before. They could only wait to hear what Cor had to say. Until then, Ignis was determined not to lose the good mood they had set. The tranquility of the safe house had not yet been disturbed.

        “You two look as if you need something to do,” he said to Prompto and Noctis. “Perhaps you should wash the dishes.”

        “Seriously?” Prompto asked, frowning at Ignis.

        “Better than you sulking all day.” Ignis moved into a standing position, and the others soon followed. “Gladio can clean the resting room, and I will–”

        “Trade with me,” Prompto insisted. He walked behind Ignis and placed his hands on the other male's shoulders. _“You_ can help Noct,” he said, pushing Ignis around the table towards Noctis, “and Gladio and I can clean up the room.”

        “So I'm not getting out of this?” Noctis asked dryly, rolling his eyes for effect.

        “Nope! It's easy. No bending or anything,” Prompto assured.

        “Fine, whatever.” Noctis linked his arm around Ignis' and pulled him out of the room. “Let's get this over with.”

        “Poor Noct. He must feel so tortured,” Gladio teased as he and Prompto soon followed after.

        “Aww, poor baby.”

Noctis shot a glare over his shoulder. Ignis smiled sympathetically and guided them over towards the sink. The water rushed into the basin, and Noctis added soap into the water, working with a silent determination. Ignis properly stacked everything off to the side and made sure they had everything they needed to clean. Afterward, he opened a drawer and found a long triple spun rope. He threaded it through his tunic and used it to tie his sleeves back and out of the way. Ignis adjusted his sleeves in a more comfortable manner as he came to the prince's side.

They began cleaning dishes in mostly silence. The utensils were washed first, and after a couple of bowls, Noctis leaned over and rested his head against Ignis' shoulder.

        “I'll be alright.”

        “I'll need a bit more convincing than that,” Ignis said, keeping his focus on rinsing the bowl in his hand. He paused in his movements to glance down to Noctis.

        Noctis dipped his hands into the water and touched his chin to Ignis' arm. He stared off to the side with hooded, thoughtful eyes. After a beat, he met Ignis' gaze and said, “You'll just have to believe me...”

        “I do, Noctis. I really do.”

Ignis set the bowl down on the dry rack a bit carelessly and turned to hug his friend tightly. He pressed his face against Noctis' neck. For a while, they were silent. Ignis couldn't say it in words, but he was worried; he was troubled because it was hard to fathom exactly what was happening to Noctis. He expressed that with emotion over their mutual spiritual thread. Noctis leaned his head against Ignis'. Soon, Ignis lifted his head and stared into Noctis' eyes.

 _I just want you to be safe,_ he emphasised.

        Noctis closed his eyes and gave the slightest of nods. “I know…”

They finished up the dishes quickly from that point. Noctis drained the sink but flicked his hands at Ignis' worried face, effectively jolting his friend into a more livened state. Noctis smirked and turned his back. Ignis gave the slightest, most heart-wrenching smile at Noctis before reaching back to untie his sleeves and soon took his glasses off his face.

They went to find Gladio and Prompto sitting in the resting room, talking about nothing in particularly. All of the blankets and pillows they had used were stacked up in neat piles beside the shin-high table. Noctis took it upon his face to cross the room and knelt down beside Gladio. Gladio stretched out his legs, and Noctis rested his head in the taller male's lap.

Ignis looked around the room before taking his place at Prompto's side. The four of them killed time by just siting around and chatting, but when Cor came to join them, it was Ignis who felt it first. Cor sat down and placed the stack of papers at his right side. He looked to everyone, and a smile pulled up on his lips.

        “You all look comfortable. I'm glad to see it. This year has been rather difficult on all of you, I'm sure.”

Ignis glanced over to his writings, suddenly feeling a slight bit of dread. He felt like a man possessed when he wrote all of his theories. It was primarily about Noctis, yes, but Ignis had drawn various comparisons between Noctis and the rest of them. Pages of cross-referenced word vomit that might have lacked all sense of composure and betrayed his frantic worry. It almost made Ignis hide his face with some degree of shame.

        As if sensing the change, Cor said, “Your fears are unfounded, Ignis. It was an intricate read but nothing that I wouldn't have expected of you. In fact, it painted a very clear picture, though everything else is washed in mystery.”

Ignis kept himself from glancing over at the prince. Cor reached forward and touched the knuckles against his right hand to the ground.

        “I will do my best to address the situation at hand. It will take some time for you all to process, but I request immediate action from you all. What action you decide to take is completely up to you.”

        “We're ready,” Prompto said, finding his voice and bravery.

        “There's no going back,” Gladio stated, voice low but determined.

        Ignis needed only a second to compose himself, but when it spoke, it was with all the diplomatic coolness that he possessed. “Tell us all you have to tell, Cor. We'll need all the knowledge we can for what's ahead.”

        Cor gave a resolute nod and drew his hand back to himself. “First, I will tell you about the state the realms are in now, and then I will tell you why you're here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Exposition in the next chapter – I hope you all are ready for it. Thanks again for you all's support. It means everything.


	8. And So You All Are

Cor looked between the four men in front of him and then down to the papers at his side. He slid the stack forward and rested it in front of his knees. His skimmed over the lines, a contemplative look on his face. Gladio kept his focus on Cor's face, and soon, the Shogun was focused and spoke to them.

        “As I told you, there's a war going on in our realm. The provinces have officially divided themselves. No one wants to talk anymore. Arguments have gone from trivial to disastrous.” He flicked his gaze up and looked to Noctis. “Your father went out to the province of Solheim–” Noctis straightened up immediately, brows knit together. Gladio reached over and placed a hand on the prince's shoulder. “– He was meant to meet with our constituents based there, but something happened. He was felled.” Cor closed his eyes and shook his head slowly. “I had sent my men to be with him as I could not do it myself. I was in the realm of Gaia, helping retrieve a beast of scions that had been screaming from their realm into ours. It was… tragic what I found there. Their world was suffering from a Void. Their Guardian had been malformed and was absorbing all life. I could barely get that group and a few others out before the tear closed. I've never felt the end of a world before, let alone a whole realm, but that was the first. I wish for it to be the last.”

        Cor opened his eyes and looked to each of them, continuing, “I heard about the descent of your father, and it was not as easy as I make it sound. My men fought at his side, body and soul, to protect him, but they were defeated. King Regis fell into a world I have not been able to find him. The only survivor had been driven to the point of madness, mind decaying.” Cor lifted up his left hand and turned it slightly. The ring on his index finger glinted red for a brief moment. “I freed her from her suffering, but I don't have an idea of who the greater enemy is.” Cor frowned slightly and placed his hand upon his thigh. “I pressed her, believe me when I say that, but each time she tried to say the name, she would scream in pain or her eyes would go wide and unseeing.

        “Regardless, I learned nothing but Regis' fall, but I could feel him compelling me, attempting to connect with me. I focused; I projected. I did all I could to meet him, but in the end…” Cor waved a hand towards Noctis. “He called for you. All of you, it would seem. He summoned you here, so he must be in this realm.”

        “Where… are we?” Noctis asked slowly.

        “We're in the realm of Eos Nigh,” Cor responded, “an outlying world where we scions have inhabited for several lifetimes. Considering where Regis was before, I can only imagine that he used the last of his strength to bring himself here. Regardless, I've been searching for the threat that took down our King. Enemies of our provinces and those of our sibling domains have been followed to whatever reaches they may take.” He lifted up a hand and brushed his thumb against his bottom lip. “I've lost many of my companions as they have traveled to spaces I cannot see or live in. Some of them have even been taken by a similar Collapse, like the one that took Gaia. The child realm, Wight of Gaia, holds the survivors. You will find no answers there, but you should know it in case you need to be there.”

        Gladio lowered his hand down to Noctis' wrist, holding the younger scion there. He could feel that Noctis was trembling. Who could blame him. “Tell us about the fight you had here in Archades.”

        “Ah,” Cor began, looking up to the ceiling. “The Slumber of Archades… As I told you before, the enemy had found their way here. Whatever little minions they have settled down in one of the most threatening places this world has to offer. I followed with my small army, and I recruited the strongest soldiers I found already fighting against that force. I must warn you that the enemy fights in different ways. I've seen corruption; I've seen incineration; I've seen a force bonding between souls. Perhaps thankfully, you only suffer a monster of corruption, though I cannot truly say how lucky you all are.

        “The city is in a state of slumber, but it cannot stay that way forever. Two of my own soldiers, proud soldiers from our home, are resting in the heart of the city. They're using their spirit to keep the city down, but I don't know how long they will last.”

        “What do you need for us to do?” Prompto asked immediately.

        “Nothing,” came the equally as quick response. “As you all are right now, I cannot be sure what effect being in the city will have on you.”

        Ignis tilted his head down slightly. “… Do you expect us to go there?”

        “Eventually, but promise me that it won't be now or at any future point until you are stronger.”

        Gladio glanced over to the others before nodding. “We promise.”

        Cor looked at each of their faces, face pensive, and then he nodded as well. “Very well. Now onto the matter of our prince here.” He touched down on the paper and flipped through it casually. “I've read what Ignis had to say, and I'm growing increasingly concerned. I believe the prince has been corrupted or tainted in some way.”

        “Could it be from the nethicite?” Ignis ventured to ask.

        Cor paused. “Probably. It's hard to say. He's been asleep for so long, and he's been in the vicinity. It's hard to say what effects the material could have had on him or if something happened to him after he was forcefully summoned. Something could have happened to him in the time before he took his rest. We cannot say. There are too many factors.”

        “Of course,” Noctis grimaced and brought a hand to his face.

        “What should we do?” Gladio asked.

        “What have you done so far?”

        “There was that blast from you,” Prompto said, counting off with his left hand. “We let him sleep in case he needed it, always with one of us. And then there's…” He trailed off and looked to his friends, wondering if he should say it.

        “Phoenix powder,” Ignis said plainly, keeping his gaze on Cor. “It can have a placating effect on those who take it. It can be addictive if not for that alone.”

        “Where did you get it?”

        “From Luna,” said Gladio.

        Cor took a moment and rubbed his hand against his chin. “I see...” He went quiet again. “We can't have him relying on that.” The others shook their head in agreement. No, they couldn't. “But it's the best way to open up his spirit without any guards.”

Cor quieted again. He gathered the stack of papers and held them in his hands. The papers began to fragment away; Cor's eyes shone blue-grey for a moment, and his hands pulled away as the remnants touched against his palm. He closed his eyes and reopened them, coming to stand on his feet.

        “I know where you need to go.”

        “Huh?” came the little noise from Prompto. Everyone came to their feet and followed after Cor, who strutted down the hall ahead of them. He brought them towards the back of the house and stood in front of an open doorway that opened out to the back walkway. The group of four could feel his mana against them like a pressure; the full force of his spirit was suffocating for a brief second. Cor turned slightly to look back at them.

        “I have a companion who can help you here. He will know more on this manner than I would. Thanks to Ignis, I gained a clearer insight on this situation and am able to guide you properly.”

        “So,” Gladio began. “Where are we headed?”

        “Nibelheim. It is also possible that he's within the caves, but I would not disturb him if so. I'll open the door, and if he's ready to receive you, I urge you to leave at this very instant. No hesitation, no waiting. Tell me when you're ready because then you must go.”

Gladio and the others looked to Noctis, who stared down at his feet, still processing everything. He furrowed his brows and turned his back on the others.

        “I'll be right back,” he said. He turned his head slightly to acknowledge everyone. “And then we're getting out of here.”

He received various forms of agreement and went back down the hall with hurried steps. Cor closed his eyes and sighed, earning the other's attention.

        “Again, I don't know the extent of Noctis' corruption. I wish I did,” Cor said, folding his arms over his chest. He opened his eyes slightly. “But I believe that Vincent will have the answer for you.”

Ignis looked serious as though the name rang a bell in his head. He brought a hand over his mouth and Prompto spoke up, opening out his hands slightly.

        “So what should we do?”

        “Just stand by. Noctis could easily need to be restrained or assisted in some way, but I will give you a piece of advice. It's dangerous, but I will leave it for you all to decide.”

        “What is it?” Gladio asked. Ignis brought his eyes up to Cor; he was still silent as he sorted through the many things on his mind.

        “Bond with him,” Cor said, brows furrowing slightly. “He will need the strength later on. I'm only asking this of one of you as this is a burden that only one should carry, and you must be tenacious. By connecting with him on this level, you are sharing his pains as he will be yours. But if his spirit is in disarray, having one of you alongside him will give him some focus, a sense of base to ground himself on. I ask this because any one of you is capable in this assistance, but it's a heavy bargain.”

The trio looked to each other, catching each other's eyes as they debated on what to do. Noctis returned back to them in all of his layers. His mask was tilted off to the right of his face. He looked troubled. Who could blame him?

        “I'm ready,” Noctis said, lifting his head to stare at Cor. “Let's go to him.”

        “As you wish.”

Cor turned his back to them, taking a single step forward with his right foot. He bent himself forward slightly. His right hand hovered over his left hip, and his left hand was curled around an invisible item. The air took on an unnatural stillness. The group could feel a small weight on their shoulders, slowly pushing them down, and then the stillness broke. The pressure lifted almost leaving them weightless as Cor snapped into action.

Cor brought out his sword, slashing it against the air in front of the door. His left foot moved forward, planting firmly onto the ground in front of him; his right turned partially to the side. There was a flash of a flowing sunset coloured cape and a wide brim hat tilted down over his face, but the image disappeared almost as quickly as it had appeared.

The doorway was now darkened, and Noctis rolled his shoulders back slightly, steeling himself for the next step of his adventure. Ignis and Gladio began forward quietly, and Prompto went after, giving a cursory glance to Noctis and Cor as he went. Noctis waited for a second but soon moved forward as well. His friends had gone through the doorway and were waiting for him on the other side. Noctis placed his hands on the doorway. Cor reached out and placed a hand on the prince's shoulder.

        “I am with you, Noctis. Remember that,” he said as he pressed his hand against Noctis' shoulder.

The prince scion furrowed his brows, feeling the pain of their spirits blending together briefly. Cor relaxed the younger male and watched as Noctis staggered past the threshold. He faltered, and Gladio slid forward to catch him. Noctis brought a hand up to his shoulder and pressed his pained face against Gladio's shoulder.

Once Noctis was on his feet, the group watched as Cor slashed his sword upward, closing the portal between them. The prince drew his hand away; the others gave him curious looks and silent touches, but he dismissed them with a shake of his head, saying nothing else.

        “Alright,” Gladio said, looking to the earthen walls surrounding them. “Looks like we've got a friend to find.”

        “How do we know we've found 'im?” Prompto asked, placing his hands on his hips.

        “Trust me,” Noctis groaned, beginning his way down the hall. “We'll know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short one! I really hope I did well with this. I've been looking forward to writing this but struggled a little bit. I'll probably keep referring back to this worryingly until I feel a bit more confident with this.
> 
> Trivia: a group of scions is called a "beast".


	9. Unlocking Secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a bit of an odd chapter to write, but I think it came across expertly (ha). If you're a Persona fan and you've been following me for a while, _[Fashionable Yet Functional](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3319235/chapters/7253498)_ is almost finished! It might not be too much longer after this chapter has been posted, actually.
> 
> So thanks as always for following me in whatever capacity. It's been a wild ride with all of you, new and old.

Gladio took point as the group traveled through the tunnels. Spider webs decorated the earthen walls; dust was thick in the air. Ignis cleared his throat softly at first, trying not to draw attention to himself. Gladio glanced over his shoulder and saw his friend blinking repeatedly with a slight shake of his head.

        “Dust bothering you?” Gladio asked with a slight smile on his face.

        “Just a tad.”

Ignis removed his glasses and rubbed his hand over his face. Gladio looked straight ahead.

        “So where is he…?” Gladio mused out loud.

        “I can almost feel something,” Prompto said thoughtfully. He paused and held out his hands, fingers splayed and palms facing down towards the ground.

Gladio could feel a chill creep up his body from his feet to his shoulders as Prompto checked the area. Prompto's brows furrowed, and he curled his fingers towards his palm, looking around to the others.

        “You guys feel that?”

        “It's faint,” Noctis said, turning his head to his left, staring down at the ground.

        “Where do you think it's coming from?” Gladio asked, placing a hand on his hip.

        Prompto nodded his head, looking past his taller companion. “Just ahead.”

        “Well, at least we know we're going the right way.”

Gladio looked back over his shoulder, turning ever so slightly. It was kind of creepy how silent it was. After being in Dethrel and Bhujerba and Cor's place, the silence had its own ominous presence. Gladio frowned as he took in their environment. The place seemed abandoned. For how long was anyone's guess. Turning forward fully, Gladio led the group further down. Whatever presence Prompto had picked up on had become a bit more noticeable the closer they got. Soon, Gladio could feel a low vibration of power underneath their feet.

The tunnel continued forward, but there was a darkened recess coming up on their left. Gladio stretched his right arm out, silently signaling for the group to slow down. Gladio focused on the recess, making his steps slow and steady until he could see a coffin resting against a wall. He frowned and muttered a soft “What…?” as they came to stand in front of the coffin.

As they drew closer, the power began to quiet down and stilled completely once the group was in front of the coffin. Gladio and the others stood in a line, staring at the large dark wood box. Gladio shifted his right foot up, slightly tilting his weight, before settling it down again.

_So… the scions of Lucis have come…_

The voice was low and melodious but devoid of any real emotion that Gladio could place. Suddenly, he felt a vibration inside of his chest, making it hard for him to breathe. He looked over to his left and saw the others reacting to the feeling as well. Gladio glared at the box, suddenly on his guard in case anything were to attack.

Transparent hands rose up out of the coffin lid but left it undisturbed. Ghost fingers curled over the edge and pushed down, ejecting a silhouette from the still closed coffin. Golden eyes flashed for a second before the rest of the figure came into view. Tattered wings were partially unfolded behind the figure's back. They closed completely, and a dark smoke emanated from behind the figure, turning the wings into a long fluttering cape in a similarly damaged condition. Black and red fabric shielded the figure's face from the nose down. Long arms and legs were clad in black and gold. Golden spiked poleyns covered the figure's knees. A golden gauntlet covered the figure's left hand, and long talons formed the solid black right hand.

        “Vincent,” Ignis greeted with his diplomatic voice.

The one called Vincent turned his head slightly towards Ignis; small wisps of power radiated from his golden eyes.

        « _Ignis…_ »

        “You two know each other?” Noctis asked, raising his brows and turning his flat but pointed gaze towards Ignis.

        “ _Of_ each other. We've never had the pleasure of working together formally.”

Gladio would take a moment to ponder on that later. He motioned out his right hand as he spoke, earning Vincent's attention.

        “Cor Leonis brought us here.”

        Vincent nodded. « _I've heard._ »

        “We're in a bit of a situation. Don't… really know how to begin.” Gladio then placed his hands on his hips, glancing over to Noctis. He exhaled quietly and refocused on the scion in front of them. “Noctis… Well, there's something going on with him. We found him not too long ago in a crystal stasis up in Bhujerba. He was surrounded by nethicite, and Cor thinks that you might be the one who can help sort this whole thing out.”

        Vincent moved his attention to Noctis and let out a low « _Hm…_ »

He glided forward, disappearing from sight and reappearing with mindless ease in front of Noctis. The prince jumped backwards slightly, and Gladio could only smirk at the reaction. In truth, he was surprised himself, but he hid it better (because Noctis reacted so visibly and no one was looking at him). Vincent stared into Noctis' eyes, hovering silently in the air. After a couple of minutes, he closed his eyes.

Gladio could feel Vincent's voice coming before he actually spoke.

        « _You're incomplete,_ » Vincent said softly. « _You're not fully awake yet, and something is trying to force 'you' to take control._ »

        Gladio saw Noctis frown. The prince straightened his posture, not caring for the closeness he and Vincent shared. “And what does that mean?”

        Vincent opened his eyes slightly, looked to his left towards his Gladio, and then looked to his right towards Prompto and Ignis. « _You need to brace yourselves._ »

        “What're you planning?” Gladio asked cautiously.

        Vincent faced Noctis again, and his eyes were once again closed. « _It's pointless to explain the unexplainable. He needs to be shown._ »

Gladio tipped towards the right, looking around Vincent towards the other two. Prompto lifted his head to meet Gladio's gaze and frowned. He looked back to Ignis, who nodded at him. Vincent waited patiently in the silence as they quietly settled on a decision. Gladio glanced over to Noctis, wanting to gauge his reaction, but the prince was still focused on Vincent floating in front of him. Gladio pursed his lips together but relaxed slightly. He figured they could just give it a try. If Cor trusted Vincent, then this was just a risk that had to be taken. They wouldn't have been guided here otherwise… Hearing no other responses, Vincent's aura reverberated through the air. Gladio felt that tight shakiness in his chest again.

        “Guards up,” he said to the others; though for Noctis, he wasn't sure what kind of protection there would be.

Vincent opened his eyes suddenly; they were completely light yellow and flashing bright with the force of his spiritual power. He reached forward with both hands, holding Noctis gently by his face. Vincent floated completely upright, coming to his full height, though his feet still hovered a foot or so above the ground. His head tilted slightly to his right side. For a brief moment, Gladio could see Vincent's form change. His skin became a soft grey, and his lips darkened with a cut coming from the corner of his mouth up to his ear. His wings had returned in their stunning, damaged form, but the sight only lasted for a second.

Gladio could feel a colder power rising in inside of him, and he almost didn't recognise it as his own. The power had a similar detachment as transformation did and that full-bodied tingling that usually came with going between realms. He grunted when the detachment became a bit more physical, nearly doubling over at the tug on his soul.

Gladio's vision doubled until he gave a hard shake of his head. He looked up towards Noctis and Vincent, seeing a soft white-blue light glowing between the two of them. The light fed into Noctis' clothes, turning the layers completely white. Noctis' eyes were closed, his head slightly tilted back and still cradled between Vincent's hands. Vincent floated back slightly, letting his fingers touch under Noctis' chin. He slowly drew his hands away, holding them out at his sides. Noctis opened his eyes, which glowed a shining yellow similar to Vincent's. Gladio straightened his posture, watching as the light dimmed from Noctis' clothes.

The prince's numerous robes condensed into a single slim darkened silhouette, which strangely seemed a bit more practical than all the layers he had been wearing so far. The golden light dissipated from Noctis' eyes, and even a soft blue energy exited from Noctis' barely opened mouth.

Gladio hesitated before reaching out to shake his friend's shoulder. In the corner of his eye, he noticed Vincent lean back and disappear before he reappeared over his coffin once again.

        “Noct? You alright?” Gladio asked, giving Noctis a little shake.

Noctis turned his head slightly towards Gladio, speaking in some language that the muscular scion was not familiar with.

        « _Give him time,_ » Vincent warned. « _He's out of his mind right now._ » Gladio looked over to Vincent, who closed his eyes and gave a small wave of his hand. « _In a more literal sense._ »

He then motioned for the group to follow him down the tunnel before transporting himself at the lead. Gladio wrapped an arm around Noctis' shoulders, holding the prince close to his form as they walked. He watched Vincent as he floated forward. He could better see Vincent's ruined cape. The high collar was red and primarily black but faded to a rich red colour near the damaged hem. Gladio then glanced from Vincent's back to Noctis. He spoke in a low voice, talking quietly to Noctis to try and elicit some type of coherent response from the prince. Nothing happened, as he had expected, but Noctis seemed aware enough of their surroundings. He looked tired, eyes squinting with that 'just-got-up' groggy expression of his. He moved sluggishly, muttering to himself in that strange tongue now and again. Gladio heard Prompto and Ignis talk softly behind them, trying to figure out the language as well, but neither had a real idea of its origin.

It had to be a sacred tongue, individual to each of them, but even still,  _that_ language could be vaguely understood by their bond. This was something new entirely. Noctis looked up to Gladio, who stared down at the prince. Noctis seemed okay; his spirit was quieter, at least. For now, Gladio would just be satisfied with that.

Vincent led them down the tunnel towards the brightly lit outside world. Once he was in the light, Vincent teleported once again. He reappeared above the visible clearing, floating almost thirty feet above the ground. He lowered himself slightly, allowing the cape to flutter behind him. His body drew up slightly, bringing the cape down again. The cape then split around him, becoming large wings that flapped and covered his form. The wings drifted forward, temporarily blocking Vincent from view, but when they pulled back, the scion was in his secondary form.

Gladio guided Noctis out of the tunnel and into a large clearing which had another entrance just across the way. To their right, there was open land with a city just barely visible in the distance. To their left was a stone, natural wall. As they stepped into the light, Noctis' clothes began to piece away like embers from a flame. The prince let out a soft groan, and Gladio paused to watch the transformation that was happening under his arm. Sure enough, Noctis was no longer wearing his formal robes. Gladio heard a soft noise of awe from Prompto. He glanced back towards the blond and saw him reaching out to turn Noctis around. Ignis stood at the side, silently evaluating the sight as well.

        « _In there…_ »

Gladio turned and looked up towards Vincent, who was pointing towards the second tunnel opening. He lowered his gaze down and pursed his lips together. He turned and reached back for Noctis, gently guiding him back around and began towards the entrance with him.

        « _Noctis goes alone,_ » Vincent said. He looked down to Gladio and the prince on the ground.

        “Mind telling us exactly what he's going through?” Gladio asked finally, trying not to look frustrated or curious and probably failing.

        « _I don't have time to explain,_ » Vincent replied. He raised a clawed hand above his head and touched all of his fingers together. He pulled his hand away, materialising a red ribbon out of thin air. « _Cover your eyes to find the truth. I need to attend to him now._ »

Gladio brought Noctis underneath Vincent and reached up his right hand into the air. The ribbon fluttered down against his palm, and without any prompting, Noctis pulled away from him, silently walking ahead. When he was almost there, he must have said something as Vincent replied in that same tone before he appeared just behind Noctis.

Gladio watched them go; Prompto and Ignis came to either side of him. Ignis trailed his fingers over the ribbon, silent but curious as he did. Gladio gave a sigh and curled his fingers around the item.

        “Told me to wear this in order to get the full picture.”

        “Make sure you tell us _everything_ ,” Prompto emphasised. He then cast his gaze down towards the item suspiciously. “Or… I guess, we could just wear it ourselves.”

Gladio let out a soft huff of a laugh. He placed his other hand on Prompto's head and ruffled his fingers through the feathery blond locks.

        “Don't worry, kid. I'll give you the run down.”

Prompto shoved Gladio's hand out of his hair. Gladio chuckled and looked to Ignis. They held each other's gaze for a long moment. Ignis crossed his arms over his chest, lifting a hand to push up his glasses the slightest bit.

        “Just be careful,” he said softly.

        Gladio nodded. “I will.”

Gladio took a seat on the ground in front of his friends' feet. Prompto shuffled nervously next to him, but Gladio just focused on the red ribbon he held in his hands. It a deep berry colour with a slightly visible purple undertone. It felt soft and sleek against his palms, a rich fabric made from what he couldn't tell. He slid his fingers towards each end and gave the ribbon a tug. He dipped his head forward before tying the fabric across his eyes.

When the fabric was tied securely, Gladio lowered his hands down to his lap and took in a deep, cleansing breath. He focused on himself and allowed the power tethered to the ribbon to seep into him. As he let out a breath, the hidden truths opened his eyes.


	10. The Painful Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy day, everyone! I hope y'all're all enjoying FF15 in your own way. Currently and surprisingly, I'm spoiler free myself. What very little I've seen is all random screenshots, mostly through Prompto's picture taking mode. So I'll be spoiler free for a long while– no worries from me!

Silence awaited Gladiolus on the other side of his mind. He wasn't sure what to expect, but thankfully, pitch darkness and absolute silence were on the list. He had his hands set on his knees as he took in a deep, calming breath, which he let out in a controlled exhale. As he did, the world rippled around him. The silence gave way to laboured breathing. Vincent's low, gravelly voice followed.

          « _–os will try to conquer you. You cannot allow it._ »

          “ _I won't,”_ Noctis replied, his voice choked and breathing heavy.

          « _Your spirit is older than He thinks, but you're restrained. It's time to break those chains._ »

          “… _I can't.”_

          « _You_ can, » Vincent corrected. « _You've just never tried._ »

Gladio leaned back, caught off guard by the sight of Vincent hovering in front of him. His body felt warm with a central fire burning in his stomach. The tips of his fingers burned; his cheeks itched as power crawled and manifested within him. Gladio felt nausea and dizzy. It suddenly felt hard to breathe. He dipped forward and heard Noctis give a little breath of effort as he kept himself upright.

Vincent drifted further into view once again. At first, only his legs were visible, but then Noctis focused on Vincent's face. Gladio heard an ethereal whisper; a great many voices filled his mind, but there was an ominous presence among them. Gladio couldn't tell any of them apart; it was hard to figure out which was what and where.

Reaching out, Vincent grabbed Noctis by the neck, holding the young scion up. Gladio felt his heart beating rapidly. It beat in doubles– quadruples– and the power within him swelled up, filling every part of him as Vincent's clawed hand gripped tighter. The golden eyes met Noctis', his lips parting ever so slightly. He drew his left hand back as a white-blue light glowed between them.

          « _Chaos will not hold you. Be free, Odin._ »

Gladio doubled over once Vincent's palm made contact. His own spirit felt as if it was shoved out of him and sucked backwards, but there was a cold sensation in his body. It was quiet and dominating. Without anything to obscure it, it emerged forward. Gladio could feel it merge with the burning, central core. There was a moment when it disappeared, and after a stunning silence, the fire spread. It mercilessly burned as it surged through. Gladio gripped at the ground, feeling the pain as if it were his own, but on two fronts, he could hear Noctis scream.

Gladio and Noctis shared one breath, shaking and trembling as the power overtook. Gladio barely make out the earthen floor; he could feel the numerous heartbeats become one. His head started pounding, and as he grit his teeth tightly, he felt a sharpness in his skull as the transformation took place. It was bizarre to feel the power of transformation without actually going through the process oneself. Gladio curled his fingers into a fist and slammed it down. He saw a black gauntlet with a golden shine.

Gladio's hand flattened against the ground. His mouth opened with the want to shout as the power became painful, tearing through him. It was then that he felt hands along his body, clawing at his sides, trying to drag him back into whatever silent prison he was in. The hands were cold; he could feel a power that embodied the vacuous nothingness of darkness. But then the shout came, dispelling the hands' grip on his body. The power coiled through him, curling tight around his every limb before immediately melting under the skin.

The pain cooled.

The urgency stopped.

The darkness returned.

Gladio took a moment to realise that he was, in fact, in his own mind and body. Alone. He reached up, scrambling at the tie and pulling it off of his eyes. He gasped, staring down at the ribbon, surprised that it had such a power. Gladio felt a reassuring hand on his right shoulder before Ignis knelt down in front of him. He lifted his head to meet Ignis' gaze. After a moment, he looked over to see Prompto nervously looking back and forth between him and the other cave opening.

          “He's free,” Gladio panted. He looked to Ignis. “I think he has control.”

          “What did you see, Gladio?”

          Gladio shook his head. “I saw what was happening, but it was what I _felt_. There's something in him. Chaos.” He began to his feet with Ignis' assistance.

          Prompto focused solely on Gladio now, coming to join his friends. “Chaos? H-he's in the Farplane, right?”

          “Guess not.” Gladio reached up a hand, groaning when he felt the pain thud through his head. “Dammit.”

          “Lean on me,” Ignis said, stepping into Gladio's space. He wrapped an arm around his friend's middle, leaving no room for argument.

The taller scion just chuckled and gave a low rumble of thanks. Prompto turned around and faced the cave where Vincent and Noctis disappeared into. Gladio stared at the open entrance as well, taking in deep breaths, almost as if trying to coax his body to breathe. He could remember those cold hands, drawing him in, and it was hard to convince himself that they were only interested in Noctis. Gladio remembered the whispers; he remembered the burning, the itching. He tried to shake it off, but the sensations stuck with him, demanding to be felt by _someone_. Worry began to settle in, but Gladio said nothing.

After far too many slow heartbeats, Noctis remerged from the cave. In the sunlight, Gladio could see that Noctis' armour was a deep, rich brown with a golden shine. His chest plate was white with many curves and curls spreading over it up to the broad shoulders. His helm, majestic and intimidating, had two large horns that spiked up from behind Noctis' head up into the air. His cloak was rich brown on the interior but was white on the outside, matching Noctis' chest plate. The polyens raised up from Noctis' knee. The royal scion curled and uncurled his gauntleted fingers.

Vincent flew out after Noctis, following after him like an intimidating guardian. For a moment, when Noctis' hands relaxed with his arms slightly lifted at his sides, he and Vincent looked as if they were one.

          “What now?” Prompto asked once they were close enough.

Gladio gave Noctis an up-down look. He could feel the power radiate from the prince scion. Not that he needed to look very far. He could see the effect glimmering in Noctis' eyes. They flashed bright red, the power fading into a golden light before it completely disappeared.

          « _Go where you are needed,_ » Vincent said. He turned himself around to Noctis' left, extending his hand down towards the prince. « _And I will offer my hand if you need me._ »

After a beat, Noctis turned his head towards the winged scion. He reached up his left hand, allowing it to hover in place. A brief light formed between their hands before appearing near Noctis' left horn. A small, dark red cerberus charm joined the many on Noctis' chain.

Two thin chains connected from Noctis' horns to his temples, one on either side, and they were adorned with small, usually significant charms. With the cerberus symbol joining in with the others, Gladio could only wonder how Vincent would be helpful in the future. His means, as they were, were unorthodox and surprising. Noctis lowered his hand down and looked to his companions. Gladio held his breath when Noctis' eyes met his. The prince trailed away after a long moment and then spoke up.

          _“I want to see Luna,”_ he said in his dual tone voice. It was soft, sweet almost to the ears. _“She might know something about where to go.”_

          “And she'll want to see you in your restored state,” Prompto added helpfully, looking over to Gladio and Ignis before looking to Noctis once again.

          “He's got a point. She's waiting for you,” Gladio added with a lazy smile.

          Noctis looked over to Gladio, brows creasing slightly when he frowned. _“What happened to you?”_

          Gladio's brow lifted ever so slightly, but then he responded with, “Nearly fainted when relief when we felt you were okay.”

          “There will be time for celebration later,” Ignis stated, his fingers tightening against Gladio's waist. To Vincent, he asked, “Do you have any means of transportation?”

          « _In a sense…_ » Vincent crossed his arms over his chest, looking to the others.

          “Then we're going to Tenebrae! Just… dump us on the outside, okay?” Prompto wiggled his fingers before flicking his hands off to the side.

Noctis watched the blond quietly, and Gladio watched him. In his peripheral vision, he watched as Vincent unfolded his arms once again, and with an almost careless flick of his hand, Vincent opened up rift behind him that swirled red and black before revealing the outer edge of Tenebrae. Gladio then looked around to everyone else's face. Ignis reached up with his free hand to push up his glasses. Noctis lifted his chin ever so slightly, and Prompto, who looked nervous, chewed on his bottom lip. To break the silence, Gladio brought up his right hand and shoved Prompto forward.

          “Alright. Let's get moving.”

          “Right,” Prompto and Ignis affirmed at once, though Prompto glanced back and gave Gladio a playful glare.

Gladio carefully drew himself away, raising up a hand as if to silently convince Ignis he was okay. Noctis stared up at Vincent, and after a moment of silence, the prince gave a sigh before walking through the portal. Prompto entered after, and Ignis waited at Gladio's side. Gladio raised up the ribbon to Vincent, who silently shook his head.

          « _Keep it,_ » the scion said simply. « _Perhaps there will be another time when you need it._ »

Gladio looked to the band and then nodded his head. He motioned for Ignis to follow him. Ignis said his good-bye to Vincent, and the two of them stepped through to the other side. They let out a long breath, and cold air puffed up in front of them. They felt the rift close at their backs. For a moment, they were alone.

They had been deposited on the interior of Tenebrae but not too far from its central estate. A giant mansion, which looked more like a castle, stood before them coated in snow and ice. Many beings wandered about; their crystalline forms glimmered beautifully in the sunlight. Some wore black armour, signifying that they were high in the order. From their distance, Gladio noticed a guard stepping out of the estate, dematerialising whatever they had in their hand. Shards of ice fell from their palm, and guard continued dutifully towards their next task.

He drew his attention away to his companions as Prompto stepped towards Noctis.

          “Luna'll be glad to see you,” the blond said.

Noctis gave a grunt of agreement as he reached up and ran his fingers over his helm. There was a soft scrape of metal against metal as his sharpened fingertips scratched against the side. Ignis took a step forward.

          “Do you need assistance changing back?” he asked casually, crossing one arm in front of his chest and cupping the elbow of his other arm. His free hand was half curled near his cheek.

          Noctis shook his head. “I'm fine. It's just… been a while, I guess.”

          “Indeed it has.”

Gladio stood there silently, watching the newly transformed prince. Seeing Noctis' scionic form was honestly refreshing, but Gladio still couldn't get what he experienced out of his head. There was too much to process. Looking at the ribbon he held in his hand, he felt his mind drifting, trying to piece together all he had saw. He canted his head to one side as he allowed his mind to move forward without him, but then he closed his eyes and collected himself. As he began to speak, Gladio began towards the castle.

          “We should probably get inside before the chill starts to set in. Maybe she's already expecting us.”

          “It's a possibility,” Ignis replied as he and the others followed after Gladio. “But do you think she would suspect Noctis being revived so soon?”

          “Who knows?” Gladio rolled his right shoulder back as he shrugged. “Guess we'll find out in a little bit.”

He wrapped the ribbon around two fingers, forming it into a nice little ball which he then tucked into his pocket. Right now, he couldn't think about that. He put his mind forward on Lunafreya and how good it would be to see her again. Even though he, personally, saw her not too long ago, it would be a different experience having everyone else with him. They passed over the flat bridge and through the main gate. Ahead of them was their advancing reflections in on a shiny, icy surface. They continued forward and stepped through the icy barrier without any hesitation.

Their new location was far warmer now that they were shielded away from the outside snow. They were on the second level of the manor. There were books along the wall directly to their far left with half sections to the north and south walls being filled with books as well. A square opening was to their left where they could peek down to the lower level. There was a large archway in front of them, and Gladio knew that there was another archway just behind them. The one in front of them led further down the hallway to a room lit with bluish light.

Noctis wandered forward, looking at every nook and cranny, examining the books, the archway, and everything else he could see in silent fascination. As he walked, he began to fragment away back into his human state. What caught Gladio's eye was the dark blue-grey armlet around Noctis' right forearm. It was significant to him, but strangely, he couldn't place why.

He heard the ethereal chime of something materialising. He looked up from Noctis to see a crystalline figure leaping into sight with outstretched arms. Just as one foot landed on the ground, the thin crystal shell cracked and fell apart into snow, revealing the wide-eyed Lunafreya. She took hurried steps forward, wrapping her arms around Noctis' neck once she was in range. She held him close, her brows knit tight. After a moment, she drew back and held Noctis at arm's length. They stared at each other in silence, and Gladio felt himself smile when Luna did.

She took a couple of steps back before motioning for everyone to follow her.

          “Everyone, wow, it's… It's so good to see you.” She laughed softly with a shake of her head. She turned around slowly and led them down the hall. As they took a right around a corner, the double doors opened before them, leading them into a well-lit corridor. “I've been thinking about you since Gladio came to visit. I… ah.” She reached up, holding her face and gave another head shake.

          “My thoughts are all over the place. Noctis. You've actually found him.” She looked over her shoulder to the others.

          “It's been a rather difficult journey,” Ignis said.

          “But we did it!” Prompto placed his hands behind his head.

They entered through a doorway in the center of the hall. This time, Luna opened the doors herself. Gladio watched as she leaned forward against the door handles and shoved the doors open gracefully. Before them was a spacious sitting room with numerous chairs and a stack of pillows recessed in the center of the room. There was also another comfortable looking pile off to the right side in the corner of the low stairs. Gladio moved forward, wishing to – and needing to – sit down. He stopped at a gentle squeeze of his arm.

He turned towards Luna, who coaxed him down for a kiss to his cheek. He stood to the side as Luna continued her greetings. She rubbed Noctis' back as he passed by. The prince headed to the large pile of pillows in the center of the room. Gladio was not surprised. To Ignis, she gave a one armed, tight embrace, and to Prompto, she gave a quick peck on the lips.

          He pointed over towards a window. “Hey, can we talk?”

          Luna wrapped an arm around Prompto and tugged him over. “Of course! What is it?”

Gladio watched the pair head off, and he closed his eyes tightly as pain surged up body and soul. He felt a hand against his bicep. Ignis turned his hand and gently guided Gladio towards the couch.

          “You should rest, Gladio, while we're able.”

          Gladio allowed himself to be led. With a groan, he rolled his shoulder and put on his brave face. “Aah, I'm not that bad,” he said, lying very clearly through his teeth. “But I guess it wouldn't hurt to kick back for a while.”


	11. Our Search is at an End

        “How old do you think Vincent is?” Noctis asked idly.

        Gladio sat up from the couch, holding up a finger towards Noctis. “Probably shouldn't ask that question.”

        “He's not _here._ ” Noctis opened out his arms, gesturing to the room around them. “So, how old is he?”

        “Noct.”

        “What?” The prince smirked. “Answer the question, and I'll stop asking.”

Gladio rolled his eyes and leaned back against the couch, placing his hands behind his head now. He and Noctis were the only ones in the room. Luna took Prompto and Ignis with her to retrieve something from elsewhere in the manor. Noctis stretched out his arms and legs before wiggling down further on the comfortable pile he had underneath him.

He looked far more comfortable now that he had when they initially brought him to Cor's hideout. Maybe because of the change, maybe because of where he was– but Noctis just seemed… different. Gladio wasn't complaining though. He took in the prince's new attire. Where his seven layer robes allow looked so eloquent on his slight form, the garment that Vincent had graced Noctis with seemed more fitting.

Noctis had a white cropped tunic with an angular high collar. Underneath the collar, Gladio could make out the black neck of his sleeveless garment. His forearms were bound by a blue-black cloth wrapped in thin chains. On Noctis' left arm, the arm closest to Gladio, there was a fire insignia and a light green tear drop crystal. His fingers were partially wrapped with thinner matching fabric. He had a black, featureless sash around his waist with a matching cloth that fell down in front of his legs. Black boots adored his feet.

        “How's it feel to be back?” Gladio asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

        “Feels good. Feels… different, like I'm this way for the first time.” Noctis looked at his hands, curling and uncurling his fingers.

        “Enjoy it, Noct. It's not every day we're reborn.”

        “Didn't know you were a poet.” Noctis rolled over onto his side, looking over towards Gladio. “Are… you okay?”

        Gladio raised his brows, tilting his head forward to look at Noctis. “What d'you mean?”

        Noctis gave his friend a flat stare in response.

        Gladio sighed through his nose, sitting up and rubbing his thighs with both hands. “What do you remember about being in the cave with Vincent?”

        The prince frowned before shaking his head slowly. “Everything,” he whispered as if astonished. He looked over to Gladio. “But something happened with you too… right?”

Gladio rubbed his lips together and rocked over towards his left. He pulled the ribbon out of his pocket and held it between his hands. He couldn't feel any power emanating from it as before, but there was still the knowledge.

        “Vincent gave me this to 'see the truth', and I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting.” He chuckled softly and looked to Noctis. “Let's just say I know you better.”

Noctis frowned and quirked his head to the side sharply. The interior doors opened behind him, and the trio returned. Ignis held a pillow with an ice sphere set on top of it. The sphere was spewing chilly air as he walked. Prompto had a small box of crystals and mythrils that he carried with the utmost care. The soft _tink, tink_ of crystals was cute in a way.

Luna followed after in a cloud of cold smoke. She turned and closed the doors behind them. Prompto hurried down the small set of stairs and extended a blue crystal down Noctis. He trotted over to Gladio and gave him a wine red crystal, which Gladio turned curiously between his fingers. He heard Ignis' voice – “Pardon me, Noctis” – and looked over to see Ignis setting down the pillow on top of the nest that Noctis had settled himself into. Luna came to join the others and let out a long sigh. She placed her hands on her thighs, leaning forward. Gladio looked up at her slender and contemplative face. After a moment, she looked over to Gladio, startling him just a bit.

        “Are you hungry?” she asked suddenly, looking to everyone else.

        “I could eat,” Noctis said with a raise of his hand.

        Prompto lifted up a finger, staring at Luna. “Me too.”

        Gladio curled his fingers around the crystal, feeling a surge of cool power travel up his arm that he peacefully ignored. “Guess we might as well grab something too, Ignis.”

        “Seems that way.” Ignis placed a hand on his hip, looking to Luna. “If you don't mind.”

        “Wouldn't have asked if I did.” She smirked to Ignis and then straightened up, clapping her hands together. “After this! Then I'll treat you all to something to eat.” Luna walked down the steps, standing two feet away from the icy sphere. “So you're all looking for the King?”

        Prompto nodded as Noctis said, “Cor told us about a war. We need to find my dad and figure out how to stop this.”

        “We know that he's in hiding,” said Ignis as he touched his index finger to the corner of his glasses. “He could be in danger. Now that we've found Noctis, our newest priority is to find him.”

        Luna nodded her head. “Got it.”

She curled her fingers, her outer shell shattering like ice as she took on half of her scionic state. A sheer blue shawl draped around her back, tucked into the bends of her arms. A section of her blond hair was spiked up in a frozen crown; a silvery necklace with a sapphire stone was set around her neck. Clouds of icy air spilled from her shoulders and sides. She gave a gentle push with her feet and hovered in the air. Puffs of cold air cascaded from under her feet intermittently.

        “ _Everyone, stand apart from each other with your crystal in your left hand.”_

Noctis and Gladio stood on either side of the crystal. Ignis stood two feet to Gladio's left with Prompto equally distance to his left. Gladio switched his dark green crystal over to his left hand, and without any spiritual prompting, it hovered above his palm. He could see the others' doing the same.

“ _Focus,”_ came Luna's gentle voice as she moved her hands towards the sphere in the center of them. Gladio felt another tug at his core as he watched the icy orb lift up from its pillow and crash down. They were shrouded in darkness as a frosty cloud coiled out towards all of them. Gladio looked over towards the other males, seeing Ignis, Prompto, and Noctis' left sides all lit up by their crystals. Prompto took a step back, letting out a little noise of shock as stars dotted the ground. Constellations began to form slowly under their feet before forming one giant emblem in the center, forming the Lucius insignia.

Gladio sighed as his magic circles formed under and above the Lucis emblem. Between them came a swirling black and burgundy orb of Ignis' energy. Noctis took a step back as well, placing a hand on his stomach as a piece of his power was coaxed out of him. Gladio's magic symbols compressed the sphere between them. Luna spread open her arms, revealing the realm of Lucis as it was before they left.

Scattered pieces of conversation spiked up all around them, detached voices of the past. Everyone looked around them. As Gladio was looking around, he saw that Luna was still focused on the center as though unaware of the change, but when he turned back to her, she wasn't there. She disappeared before them. In her place, Ignis walked forward with the King at his side, startling everyone for a moment.

        “ _And I will need you to confer with their group. Whatever happens, report to me or Cor Leonis immediately.”_

        “ _Yes, your Majesty.”_

King Regis stopped and looked to Ignis. He clapped a hand over the bespectacled scion's shoulder, giving it a fond squeeze.

        _“It's always good to see you, Ignis.”_

        There was a moment of conflicting emotion on Ignis' face, all of which was felt for a moment before stowing away. _“You as well.”_

Regis chuckled and let his hand fall away. He continued forward on his own, and Ignis traveled back the way they came. As he passed, four guards became the focal point.

        “ _Have you heard? A realm collapsed.”_

        “ _No way.”_

        “ _Actually,”_ said the third, _“I heard that some of the Oracle's people were there when it happened.”_

 _“Oracle Lunafreya?”_ asked the first guard in shock. _“Is this supposed to be a war?”_

_“If they'll have it their way–”_

Before the conversation was finished, the perspective changed for a moment to Prompto and Noctis sitting on the roof of a covered walkway together. Under their swinging feet was a messenger who ran hurriedly down the hall. She gripped a message tight in her hand as she made her way down to corridor, and in spite of fatigue, she dodged the oncoming guards with incredible ease. She pushed through heavy doors, eyes opening as she found who she needed. She reached out with the message, stumbling and falling on her knees in front of the desk. She kept her arm outstretched, though she winced in pain. As the letter was taken from her, the perspective changed again.

Gladio swung his sword against Noctis, who sloppily parried it with a greatsword of his own. Gladio took another strike, forcing the prince to back up until he hit a wall with his back. The tip of the broadsword came to Noctis' neck. Noctis grit his teeth, turning his head towards a window. Passing by on the other side was an emissary from another realm, walking with his attendants on either side. He was leaving the kingdom with a dark expression on his face.

        The world around them darkened once again, and Luna's voice filled the void. _“Hold the crystal in front of you.”_

They did as they were told, and a violent wind picked up around them. Gladio squinted his eyes closed, holding his ground as the wind whipped up against his face and body. Events from the past few weeks passed by in a blur. The winds picked up speed as the events became more recent, and soon the squall passed over their head, dispersing as the world darkened again.

Without prompting, everyone switched the crystal to their right hand. Luna's laughter floated through the void. Before them marched Cor and his small army of fighters. Vossler and Noah were with him. They advanced upon a man in a red garment. One arm was uncovered, revealing a sleeveless shirt underneath. Cor and the man bowed at one another, and before any of them could see who this mysterious man was, the angle changed. The army of eight marched across a bridge, avoiding a beautiful but almost endless body of water. Waiting for them were two women on a boat, but before they could get more information, there was an abrupt flash of darkness. The projected world around them flickered and Luna spoke up.

        _“To find the King, you'll all have to focus. In each of you lies an answer. Keep him in your thoughts, and I'll reveal what I can.”_

Gladio turned his head in the direction of Luna's voice, though she wasn't visible to him. He did as he was instructed and focused on Regis. He pictured the King standing on the stairs, watching him and Noctis train. He could hear Regis' voice trying to cheer Noctis on, even though the prince was clearly losing.

And suddenly, Gladio felt lighter. He opened his eyes slowly and that they were floating above splintered earth. Golden light spilled between the cracks, and the beast of scions could see that there was something – someone – under the earth.

 

_N o c t i s. . ._

 

Gladio lifted up his head and saw Noctis' surprised expression. The prince was obviously fighting with his emotions. Regis, refined and patient King Regis, laid beneath them, partially buried deep in the earth. Gladio wasn't entirely sure where the king was. He tried to pick up clues from the environment– the rock type, the way the light was reflected, the amount of natural light that there was– to get a better sense of location. Luna let out a groan of pain as hands materialised over their projected world. The world tore apart, and Noctis cried out, louder than Luna had, and dropped down to his knees.

All of their crystals shattered. The remnants came together in the center, forming a tiny icy sphere on the pillow. Luna appeared behind Noctis as the darkness dissipated. A frozen image of her remained in the air as she lowered herself down behind him, hugging him closer to her body. Her ice clone vanished, and everyone hurried closer to Noctis.

        “Your Highness!”

        “Noctis!”

Gladio knelt down in front of the prince, cupping Noctis' face to meet his gaze. Noctis' eyes flashed red before turning back to normal.

        “He… won't control me,” Noctis groaned.

Gladio nodded. He was there with Noctis. He knew what this really was. He helped the prince to his feet, and Noctis looked over his shoulder to Luna.

        “What do you know… about Chaos?”

        “Chaos?” Luna stood up fully and helped Noctis into a seat. She sat down beside him and looked from him to the others. “Chaos… the Walker of the Wheel, the devil of Four Fiends. He's the ultimate– outside of Ultima herself, of course.” She touched her lips together before continuing, “Chaos has risen from His rest in the Farplane. I don't know why, but they're saying that this is the reason that the realms are collapsing, that the war broke out when it did. His Coming is a sign of something terrible. It's not the end, but we'll wish that it was.”

        “What summoned him?” Ignis asked.

        Luna shook her head. “I don't know who he is. Chaos, as we know Him, is a larger being. What I do know is that he was split into many parts, searching every world and every plane for Ultima, who he wished to defy.” She touched a hand to her cheek. “But I heard that there was a host for him that walked the worlds. But I don't know… I've never seen him.”

        “Can't you …just sense him or see him like everyone else?” Prompto shifted his weight nervously.

        Again, Luna shook her head. “If He found a single host, someone must have seen Him, but He's older than I am, more powerful than I am. I don't know how whole He is, but He must be doing fine if He's hidden Himself like this.”

        Gladio tilted his head left and right, cracking his neck. “So there's a Defier, a rebel in our numbers, so to say.”

        “He has a grip on the King.” Luna furrowed her brows. “King Regis fell because of Chaos, so He knows who Chaos is. And apparently, He has a grip on Noctis too.”

        Noctis grit his teeth. “And I don't know when… or how…”

        Gladio gave a sympathetic frown, but he turned his attention towards Luna. “Do you know where the King is? I tried to gather some clues myself, but…” He shook his head. It was useless.

        “And where do you think Cor was going?” This, Prompto asked of everyone else. “I know that ocean! A-and the boats those girls were on. I _know_ them, but it wouldn't be worth trying to fly all the way out there, would it?”

        Ignis gave a noise in the negative. “Afraid not, but it's a good question. I suppose that'll have to wait until we can rescue the King.”

        “We need to move,” Noctis groaned. He stood up.

Luna held on his arm, trying to keep him from moving too quickly, or even moving too far away from the comfort of the couch. He glanced down at her, frustration plain as day on his face. He took in a deep breath, and when he let it out, his power pulsed through the air. There was a vision of his scion self superimposed over his human self. When he relaxed, he vision faded away.

        “I don't care how far we have to go. This is our chance to get to him… We should go now.”

        Luna frowned but stood up next to him. She looked over to Gladio. “Do you still have your phoenix powder?”

Gladio and Prompto pulled out their compacts at the same time. Prompto handed his over to Gladio, who stared at both items quietly. After a moment of silence, he gave them to Luna, who took them quietly and stepped around them all towards the interior door.

        “I'll find the King– or at least a general location. Once I do, I'll come back and give you something to take along with you.” She looked back towards the four and clutched the compacts tightly. “Just… be careful when you all go.”

        Gladio nodded, taking a half step in her direction. “We'll do our best.”

Luna closed her eyes and looked down to the compacts she held in her hands. And then, without a world, she vanished in a thin cloud of icy smoke.


	12. A Sign to Bring Us Closer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I released a book today! I would have had this done earlier, but I've been running all over the place trying to get things done. Please, enjoy! (By the way, if you're still here, you the real MVP.)

Luna promised to feed them, and she was _not. kidding_.

        Gladio rubbed his hand against the back of his mouth and pointed to Luna. “I know someone who would be _great_ in your kitchen.”

        “Aww,” Prompto teased. “Gladio's got a crush.”

        Noctis just gave a little “Hm.” in response.

He dipped his spoon into his soup, feeling a little drowsy and light headed. He propped up his head with his left hand, lips pouting slightly as he blinked slowly. It wouldn't do him any good to fall asleep now. The others said they were taking him somewhere– “Dethrel” if he remembered rightly– and he could get his energy back there. But the cooked food and the soul crystals and his earlier transformation had tired him out. He yawned big, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes and jaw straining with the action. He gave a little noise when he was done and looked back at his soup, willing himself to at least finish it.

He swore he heard someone mutter “Cute”, but he didn't feel like glaring whoever it was down.

The soup felt warm within him, and while it was delicious, it was nowhere near as satisfying as the crystals were. He reached forward, tipping the cloth lined basket. The shattered crystals within glowed when they rolled towards Noctis' fingers. He felt their weak power against his hand, and he bit down on his lip as he chose one. There was a large purple one that was only fractured slightly. He decided to go for that one. He looked up towards the others. They were busy talking.

Noctis framed the crystal with two of his fingers and then pinched its middle. His hand glowed with purple energy, his own darker blue aura protecting him from the miniature flash of energy. He brought the lower end up to his mouth, staring at the others once again and admiring the expressiveness with which they spoke to one another. The crystal warmed between his fingers and melted against his tongue as soon as it passed his lips. The tiny power core sent a sharp sensation through his head, surprising him, but it was gone just as quickly as it had come.

He gave a little huff in response, ducking his fingers back into the basket to get the little pieces of purple.

        “Don't get addicted,” Gladio teased him, brushing his own tongue against the back of his spoon. “And pass me one while you're at it.”

        “Pick a colour.”

        “Blue.”

        “Have a green,” said Noctis as he extended his hand forward with the small round crystal between his fingers.

        “Smart ass.”

Gladio took it anyway, opening out his palm for the prince to deposit the crystal into. Before Noctis could pull his hand away, Gladio reached over with his free hand and smacked the back of Noctis' , giving a cocky smile in response. Noctis clicked his tongue but then placed his hands down between his legs. He stared at his almost empty bowl of soup and tapped his teeth together thoughtfully. Luna stood up from the head of the table, her hand holding onto Prompto's as she glanced from him to Ignis. She then stepped away, walking up the small set of stairs towards the window. She gave a glimpse outside.

Noctis watched her, enjoying the way the sunlight hit her hair and her skin. Her eyes gave an iridescent sparkle when in natural light, which, to a more poetic man, would have been breathtaking. She leaned away from the window and then stepped back thoughtfully. She faced their table quietly and ran her fingers through the blond strands of hair dangling near her left temple.

        “When're you all planning on heading out?”

Ignis looked at the group. Noctis only raised his brows, expression blank, when he locked eyes with his friend for a brief moment. Ignis gave a thoughtful sigh and said,

        “Any minute now, I suspect.” He brought his elbow to the table, fingers half curled against under his chin.

        “I'm almost done,” Prompto said, holding his bowl with one hand.

        Gladio held up his hands before cupping them together again casually. “I'm finished.”

Noctis was silent for a moment, but then he grabbed his bowl with both hands. He chugged what remained of his broth. He burned the tip of his tongue, but it was worth it. He set it down with a muffled burp behind his lips and pushed the bowl forward.

        Gladio watched with hooded eyes before shaking his head gently. “I'm okay with not eating again for another generation. Who's with me?”

        Prompto raised up a hand, opening his mouth to speak, but then he pointed at Gladio, leaning forward slightly with squinted eyes. “Ask me again, _later_.”

Noctis smiled a bit, looking between his companions, but then he brought his attention up to Luna. She watched them with sad eyes. There was the smallest smile on her face, but Noctis wondered what she was thinking about.

        “Luna?”

        “Hm?” She perked up suddenly, touching needlessly at her hair and collarbones as she came back to the world around her. “Sorry. I just zoned out.”

        “Happens to the best of us.” Noctis gave a lazy smile, rocking to one side. As he moved to the other side, he came up to his feet. He dusted off the back of his legs, and soon the others joined him. They moved closer to Luna, each saying their good-byes in turn. She gave Noctis a soft kiss on either side of his mouth and held him away at arm's length, meeting his gaze and staring into him. After a moment, she smiled and rubbed at his shoulder.

        “Be safe, Noctis.”

He gave a little nod of his head, unable to think of something else to say to her. He usually wasn't one to pry and wondered if she would even tell him if he asked. He turned away from her, facing the others. Ignis placed his hands on his hips as Gladio spoke.

        “We can walk, or we can transport there. Your choice, Noct.”

        Noctis held up his hands. “I'm tired. Just put me in a bed and I'm set.”

        “Done and done.” Gladio looked to Prompto, who perked up slightly and met the other's gaze. After a silent conversation, the two looked over to Ignis. He opened out his hands for the both of them to take. Noctis gave one more look over his shoulder to Luna before taking both Gladio and Prompto's empty hands.

        “We'll be back, Luna!” Prompto said energetically.

        “Hopefully in one piece,” Gladio drawled, smiling over to her.

        “Don't say _that…_ ” Prompto added under his breath.

        Ignis gave a little shake of his head. “We'll let you know if anything comes up with the King. Thank you, as always.”

        “No problem. Just take care of yourselves. Okay?”

Ignis nodded. Noctis felt the hands squeeze against his, and then there was a cold touch of air. He looked around to see Prompto, Ignis, and Gladio had all closed their eyes, focusing on their new destination of Dethrel. Well, it was new to _him_. He wondered what kind of place it would be. He saw Gladio smile.

        “You think they'll finally realise what we are if we pop in like this?”

        “They'll learn in time, though I'm still wondering if that's a good idea,” replied Ignis thoughtfully.

Noctis didn't give it any thought. He gave into the disembodied freeness of traveling. Moving from one space to another in this way left him feeling a lot weaker than he originally thought. When they touched down, they were in a hall with curtained doors. Just behind Ignis were glass paned doubled doors that had white curtains blocking the other side. Noctis didn't have a chance to glance around further. He dropped down, only to be caught by Gladio before he could completely fall to the ground.

        “In here,” Ignis said, turning on his heel and entering into the upper left room.

With Gladio's help, Noctis was able to follow after. They passed through the curtains and into the modestly arranged room. There was no comfortable nest of pillows or blankets for him to fall into, but there was a neatly made bed that had his name on it. Sunlight lit his room, but the actual Sun must have been high overhead, given the angle. Gladio helped him to the bed, and immediately, Noctis flopped down upon it.

        “Get some rest, Noct.”

        “Call if you need anything,” Ignis said, voice soft as he stared at the prince.

Noctis curled up on his side, not having the energy to pull off his boots or anything like that. He closed his eyes, and the darkness behind his eyes didn't offer any pictures. He slept in dreamless peace for a long time. He gave a contented sigh in his sleep, fingers curling against the soft pillows, which felt like a miracle under his head. At some point, he registered the warmth of the Sun against his cheek– and what he swore was a hand. Fingers gently brushed through his dark hair; lips softly pressed against his forehead and his lips before altogether drawing away.

In spite of the comfort that guided him sweetly into his deeper sleep, nightmares awaited him. He was swathed in fear, and something gripped him. He felt trapped— it was inescapable. He woke up with a sudden jerk, a gasp choking in his throat as he fell unceremoniously back into his body. He grasped the edge of the bed, staring down at his floor with wide eyes.

He couldn't remember what he dreamt.

He remembered… He _thought_ he remembered a face. He did remember shining gold eyes set upon a wicked face. Yes… Yes he remembered that.

Noctis reached up with his left hand, rubbing at his face. He fell onto his back, giving a slight bounce. He pressed the heels of his palm against his eyes, seeing violet spots build up against the darkness of his vision. His heart thudded against his chest, sending tremors through his body. He moved his hands down, setting his palms over his eyes. He could feel his heart beating in his finger tips.

He felt the sleep burden down on him again, but his mind resisted against it, keeping him woefully awake against his will. Noctis sighed, and the pain of his own fatigue wounded him. He turned onto his left side, flopping over bonelessly, and finally closed his eyes. When sleep came over here, there was fear in the back of his mind that the nightmares would return, but as sleep grappled him and pulled him down rather quickly, Noctis found that he didn't care in the end. 

 

        “So… this is it.”

Prompto walked backwards, opening out his arms as he stood in the courtyard. Noctis looked around at the pillars, and the fountain in the center of the courtyard, and at the people wandering about in their simple but beautiful robes. He slowly walked down the stairs, coming to the ground level with Prompto, Ignis and Gladio behind him on either side. Noctis glanced over his left shoulder to Ignis, who was taking in the world. He moved with silent grace, looking rather at peace with himself. The realisation struck Noctis suddenly. Outside of a brief moment at Cor's place, this was the most at peace Ignis had looked since their back travel started.

Over to his right, Gladio moved more confidently, far more alert of their surroundings and looking properly like a bodyguard. He had an animalistic ease to him, his shoulders rolling slightly as he walked. Gladio blinked and, in the next instant, was looking at Noctis, almost expectantly. Noctis gave a small shake of his head and faced forward as he approached Prompto.

Prompto hooked his arm around Noctis', guiding the prince around the courtyard and pointing to the important buildings. There was a temple, but every wing had something of a 'prayer room'. There was a building where everyone ate, another where the leaders of Dethrel met. They walked forward, and Prompto pointed off to the right. There was a side exit with a beaten path that led up the hill and to the stables.

        “Maybe you'll meet Royale someday,” Prompto said, touching his cheek to Noctis' shouder.

Noctis stared at the path and then turned his head to the world around him. The sunlight from the setting Sun made Dethrel look pretty, ethereal even by his standards. Since there weren't many people out save the four of them, it was also strangely quiet. No wonder Ignis felt at peace.

Noctis brought his gaze down to the ground. After a few quick blinks, he brought his hand up to his right cheek. He rubbed at it with his palm but then touched under his eye with the tips of his fingers. He felt like he was crying, but he wasn't sure why. Another series of blinks, and there was still that feeling there. It was a strange sense of acceptance, of peace, and of sadness.

        “Noctis…?” came a worried voice. Might have been from Prompto or Gladio or Ignis– he couldn't tell.

Noctis stepped away, staring at the palms of his hands as the _feeling_ of tears plagued him. He drew in a breath through his nose, eyes widening as the disturbingly serene feelings over took him.

_M y  s o n . . ._

        “Dad?” Noctis asked, voice sounding broken in his own ears. He hunched his shoulders up, covering his face as the sadness pushed deeper into him.

_I ' l l . . . b e  w a i t i n g . . ._

        “W-wait!” Noctis pulled his hands down from his face, not caring now that the tears were real and streaming down his face. He was left feeling empty. He almost longed for the peace again in spite of how painful and conflicting it was.

Hearing his father's voice– it had been so long!

        “Where are you?” Noctis asked, spinning around and looking to the heavens.

He could see the concerned faces of his companions pass by in a blur as he turned this way and that. Finally, he stopped– frustrated. He balled his hands up into fists and glared down at them. He blinked through the haze of tears. Before his frustration could come to a head, he saw the glimmer of his father's bangle around his wrist and the heavy ring of Lucis on his finger. He relaxed his hand and brought it up into the air, staring at it transfixed as the vision slowly disappeared.

They had to be on the right trail now…

        “We have to find him,” Noctis said, repeating a determined conviction he expressed earlier. He curled his fist once again and looked to the others. There were no more tears save the ones drying on his face. “We've to keep looking– no matter what!”

The others watched him with their own level of concern, but Noctis was glad when they didn't argue and merely, silently, nodded their heads.


	13. What Options Lie Before Us

In spite of how badly he wanted to leave right that minute, Noctis' body just wasn't having it. After being guided around Dethrel and after convincing the others to get him _at least_ down to the village in the valley, they all sat in his room. Noctis was laying on his bed in a long dark blue-grey tunic with dark blue embroidery at the hem and high slits on the side. His feet were uncovered, and the black shorts he wore underneath the tunic were just barely visible under the slits. Prompto sat against the side of the bed with Ignis to his right. Gladio sat between them and the door. Even though they were obviously keeping guard, Noctis didn't feel suffocated.

       “So how should we start looking?” Noctis asked, eyes closed as he lifted his hand up from his face.

       “We know that he's buried, at least. Flying overhead might help?” Gladio volunteered.

       “It would be easily as beneficial to stay on the ground,” Ignis began. “If the King is calling out for Noctis, then perhaps that would be the best option...”

       Noctis felt a small shift against the bed before Prompto spoke, “We could try one then the other and see which gets a better response?”

       “We could…” Ignis and Gladio muttered in unison, voices trailing off.

Noctis sighed and flopped his hand back down over his eyes. There was a slight sting as his fingers collided with the side of his left eye. He fell quiet for a long moment as he debated on what to do. He felt a great sense of peace and finality when his father called out to him. Earlier, when Luna helped in the search, there was something darker- something a lot more dreadful holding onto Regis. Chaos… Chaos was playing some in this discovery.

And apparently, because of Vincent, Gladio was able to feel the grip of Chaos as well. That painful, soul stealing grip that threatened Noctis in his waking and sleeping mind. The prince chewed thoughtfully on the inside of his bottom lip with his canines. His other teeth tapped against each other with every nervous bounce of his jaw.

       “Gladio,” Noctis said.

       “Yeah?”

Noctis sat up, staring down at the bed, right hand pressed against the sheets. He stayed silently for a moment before turning towards his friend. His left hand moved between his thighs.

       “Do you think… you'd be able to feel Chaos if we're near something He's influenced…?”

       Gladio's chest lifted with an inhale. He nodded. “If it's anything like what I felt last time… Yeah. Probably could.”

Noctis looked down to the two beside his bed. In the drawn out silence, Prompto tilted his head back, cheek resting against the edge of the bed. He raised his brows, quietly prompting Noctis to continue. Soon, Ignis turned his head as well. The prince sighed and looked away, staring up at a corner of his room.

       “What a pain in this ass…” he mumbled instead.

       “You don't think we'll need any back up, do you?” Prompto then asked, bringing his attention to Ignis and then to Gladio.

       “We should hope not,” Ignis said gravelly. “Though we don't really know what we're up against. There's Chaos, yes, but to what capacity?”

       “Hard to say.” Gladio brought his hands together, fingers interlaced and palms shifting against one another nervously, slowly. “From what I felt through Noctis, he's got some kind of hold over both of them.”

       “Right.” Prompto lifted up a finger and then pointed to Gladio. “You still need to explain how that happened.”

       Gladio waved a hand. “Ask Vincent.”

Prompto narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips before letting his hand fall down. Noctis turned. He lifted his legs up so he didn't kick Prompto in the back of the head and then set them down between Prompto and Ignis. His fingers curled against the edge of the bed, tapping there irritably.

       “What did you guys eat here?” he asked.

       “The food, mostly,” Ignis replied.

       “Soul crystals were in rare supply for a while,” Prompto added. “Until we found Gladio and then he made a bunch for us.”

       Gladio smirked. “Helps to have shifted from human back to my normal self again.”

       “Are you hungry, Noctis?” Ignis looked up to the prince.

       Noctis shook his head and muttered, “Nah…” before standing up on his feet.

He placed a hand on his hip and touched his chin with his other hand. He stared at the ground as he began his thoughtful walking. The others let him move around in silence. In truth, Noctis only had one thing on his mind, and that was Chaos. Even though it seemed like a dangerous force, it was also the best lead they had to finding Noctis' father. He frowned deeply and looked to Ignis.

Augh, he wasn't gonna like this…

Noctis closed his eyes and shook his head, slowly turning his back to the duo near the bed as he paced around once again.

       “What's on your mind?” Gladio asked finally.

       “Mn…” Noctis dropped his hand down from his chin, letting his arm dangle at his side for a moment. He knit his brows together and arched backwards, letting out a displeased groan. “I know how we can find him.”

       “What is it?” Prompto prompted.

       “We use that Phoenix Powder we got from Luna.” Noctis looked down to Gladio. “And that should make it easier to hear him. But… that'll mean that Chaos will be able to hear me too.”

       “T…that's it?”

       Noctis turned his head and saw Ignis frown. “Your Highness.”

Oh no. The formalities.

       “Look. I know it's a dumb idea, but this is the best thing we've got.” Noctis switched his left hand to his hip and waved Ignis' concern off with his right. “If I had something better, I'd go with it, but it's all I can think of.”

       “It's not just that.” Ignis brought his knees up and set his forearms upon them. “When we were at Cor Leonis' place, you were… Well, you weren't yourself. If Chaos does have some sort of influence over either one of you, I fear what that could mean if we just willingly allow this to happen.”

Noctis pressed his lips together and then gave another groan of frustration.

       “I know.”

       “And if he were to 'inspire' some change in you—”

       “ _Ignis._ _I know,”_ Noctis snapped, brows knit tight as he stared at his friend.

       “Hey, don't get mad at Iggy for worrying about you,” Prompto said, frowning deeply. “Hell, we all are. And I don't like this plan much either, but…” His expression relaxed slightly and he looked down to the ground, shaking his head.

       “I doubt I'll be much of a target,” Gladio said. “I should be able to sense him without you offering yourself up like a lamb.”

       Noctis turned and looked down at him. “That's not how this works.”

       “No, what works is doing the thing that won't get you killed.”

       “This won't–” Well, he didn't know that. Noctis brought his hand up into his hair, wrist pressing hard into his temple. He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. “Just listen to me.”

       “We _are_ listening, Noctis, and that's the problem,” Ignis stated. “I will accept this if it were our last option, but we've just begun the discussion. It would be better to—”

       “It would be _better_ if you all just shut _up_ for a second and realised what was happening!” Noctis brought his hand down at his side suddenly, clenching it into a fist. “I've been asleep for a year. My _dad_ is buried somewhere, and there's a goddamn war breaking out all over the place. I just want to get this done. You hear me? _Done!”_ He uncurled his hand, straightened it, and swiped it in the air in front of him as he took a half step forward.

       “And I don't want to waste time thinking about some entity who's better off dead or in a some coma-like sleep either. I feel like getting shit _done_.” He looked between the three and let out a hard sigh through his nose.

The silence was heavy between them. Noctis felt his fingers were trembling with anger. Prompto glanced over to Ignis, whose expression had become unreadable, blank. Gladio sat frozen in pace, dissatisfaction clear on his face. Noctis didn't want to be near any of them, but he didn't want to leave either. Some part of him wanted to say something else, but he wasn't sure what more to add. He turned and walked into a corner of his room. He brought his legs together, pressed his back to the corner, and slid down against the wall. He crossed his arms over his knees awnd pressed his head against his forearms.

The outward silence persisted, but he could feel the three communicating without him. It was like hearing the rain behind a thick wall. He could somewhat feel their emotions, but it was all muddled to him. They were purposefully keeping him away from the talk. And you know what? That was fine with him. He fell deep into himself, retreating into a private domain of solace where he was isolated from the others. There was a striking brand of loneliness that he tried to ignore.

He felt childish— maybe because it was a childhood habit; maybe because he had let his frustration sink deep into him. He frowned deeply behind the cover of his arms, and that beautiful place deep in his mind fell to the distracting darkness that always held him.

When he felt someone approach, he clenched up tight. He set one foot on top another and drew his legs tighter towards himself. His shoulders hunched up tight; he felt the muscles of his biceps flex and strain with the sudden tightness of his actions. A hand touched over his bare arm, and Noctis balled himself up further, slightly rocking away from the touch.

       “Noctis,” came Ignis' dulcet voice. Noctis felt Ignis kneel down in front of him, and the warm fingers gave him a soft squeeze on the arm. “Noctis… Come with me. Please.”

Noctis stayed in place for a moment, but then he uncurled slowly from his place. He looked up to meet Ignis' gaze. They stared at each other silently for a moment. Noctis still felt that there was a wall between them. He frowned, but then he stood up anyway. Prompto and Gladio were already standing, looking at each other as they held their quiet conversation. When Ignis and Noctis approached, Noctis felt the unheard words fall away. He crossed his arms in front of himself. Prompto shifted in place, setting a hand on his hip as he used the other to scratch the back of his neck.

       Gladio began with, “Well, we all agree that this is a reckless idea.”

       “Unanimously.” Ignis crossed his arms and looked to Noctis.

       “But,” Gladio continued, “if nothing else comes to us, we'll end up going with it.”

       Noctis stared at Gladio blankly. “… Okay.”

       “We also decided we'll take the horses. Again.” Prompto rocked onto his heels. “They'll get us where we need to go, and if we decide to go with this plan, it'll be better for you and Gladio to ride instead of using your powers.”

       “As long as I get to pick the horse.” Noctis' smile and response came out far more bitterly than he imagined. He turned his head away and stared silently at the ground.

The others let the silence settle, and the moment pass. They caught onto the tone as well, but no one said anything. Ignis sighed beside him.

       “We'll try to think of a solution tonight. Tomorrow, we'll take another walk around Dethrel, and you can meet the stable hand. If none of us come up with a solution by sunset, we'll go with your option.”

       Noctis spoke before he fully processed what he was feeling. He closed his eyes and spoke sharply, “I said I wanted to go looking as soon as possible. Is it really that hard to understand?”

       “ _Listen.”_ Gladio reached forward and grabbed the front of Noctis' shirt. “We heard every damn thing you had to say today. It's time you listen to _us_. We're trying to meet you half way here. I get it; you feel compelled to rush out and find him, but we've to take this on wisely. If you rush into things, you're gonna get yourself killed!”

Noctis glared up at Gladio, stepping closer to the taller male. Gladio met the challenging stare easily.

       “This isn't _just_ about you. You _can't_ do this alone no matter what might be going through that head of yours. We want to find him just as badly as you do.”

       “You sure don't act like it.”

Noctis ignored the fingers clenching in his tunic or the subtle drag of his feet as Gladio pulled him closer. Their noses were almost touching.

       “Cut the shit, Noct. You're not in this alone.”

Wisely, the prince stopped himself before he said something. Instead, he turned his head away, and Gladio let go of his clothes. Gladio brought a hand up to his face and muttered something to himself in that private language no one could understand.

       “Seriously, Noctis… We're here for you,” Prompto said gently, though he was frowning as he spoke.

       “We're only suggesting what will be best for you.” Ignis moved a hand to Noctis' shoulder. “We're not out to torture you.”

Noctis rolled his shoulder, repelling Ignis' touch. Ignis drew his hand away, and after a small hum, he pushed up his glasses.

       “We'll leave you be for tonight,” said the advisor.

And with that, the others began out of Noctis' room. Noctis watched them leave from the corner of his eye. When there was no one left, he felt that strange betraying sense of loneliness and, perhaps, something darker underneath.


	14. The Internal, External, Eternal Conflict

          “It's nice to meet you.”

Noctis glanced over to the scar coming from the corner of the redhead's mouth up to his ear. Even though it was only for a second, he still felt bad for staring. He met Royale's eyes and nodded quietly.

          “You too…”

          “Royale here's been living at Dethrel for a few years now,” Prompto said, moving his hands down to his hips.

          “Been a stable hand since I got here, basically,” Royale said. He looked over his shoulder and into the stable. After a second, he stood up on his feet. “You said you wanted to look at the horses?”

          “If'n you don't mind.” Prompto followed. “Comin', Noct?”

Like he had a choice. He shrugged up his shoulders and followed the two into the spacious stable. It was constructed out of white stone, but the inside had a smooth earth floor with enough hay scattered around for the horses within to be comfortable. Royale called out to the creatures fondly. He stroked over the snouts of those that came to their stable door. Noctis watched, feeling interest build in him as he watched Royale carefully handle the animals.

          “You should really consider getting chocobos in here,” Prompto said, trying to sound nonchalant.

          “I'm trying. Getting chicks is hard enough, but a lot of people don't want to part with their grown up birds.” Royale smiled and turned back slightly to look at Prompto. “But if I succeed, you'll be the first one to know.”

          “That's cool,” Prompto said, but when Royale turned back around, Prompto twisted back to look at Noctis with all the silent excitement he could manage.

Noctis' shoulders shook with a quiet laugh. He lifted his hand half-heartedly, and soon the three of them stopped in the center of the stables. Royale opened out his arms.

          “Go ahead. Take your pick.”

Noctis looked from Royale over to the steeds that were kept on hand. There were a good number of them, about nine from what he could see of those standing, probably closer to thirteen or fourteen if he was counting the stables properly. He walked around quietly, looking at each of the clever looking stallions and mares in appreciation. He reached out to stroke over the snout of one, smiling slightly when the steed nudged closer towards his palm.

Ignis and Gladio would join them eventually, and things were still a little tense between all of them since last night. Noctis pursed his lips together. He pulled away from the horse and moved onto the next one. A dark grey beauty with a white stripe going down its nose. Its dark tail snapped in the air, and Noctis could see streaks of white in the tail as well. Stepping closer, he saw black and dark, dark grey spots dotting along the horse's flank. There were little flecks of white here and there as well. Noctis brought his hands up and cupped the horse's face, scratching under its ears gently.

          “What's this one's name?” he asked distractedly.

Prompto stopped mid-sentence when Noctis spoke up. Royale piped up, his voice coming closer as he advanced.

          “This one's Stella. I got her in a trade down in the village.” Royale stared at her, smiling. “She's an active one. I usually don't have time to take her for rides like I used to.”

          “Would it be alright if I did?” Noctis raised his brows, looking to Royale almost expectantly.

          “I'm pretty sure she'd love you if you did.” Royale looked over towards Prompto. “Hey, Prom. Can you hand me that black saddle from near that wall there?”

          “No problem!”

Noctis watched as Prompto spun around nimbly and headed to the wall near the closed and barred doors. Royale stepped closer and opened Stella's stable. Noctis stepped out of the way, and soon, the mare was able to step out on her own. She looked from between the two before making her way towards the open exit. Royale jerked up and walked quickly to stop her.

          “Not yet, girl. Give me just a little bit.” He stroked over her snout and along her mane.

When he was convinced that she would stay, he walked to meet Prompto half-way, taking the saddle from his friend. Noctis held his hands behind his back, moving closer with lazy movements as he watched Royale saddle her up.

          “Ever ride a horse before?”

          Noctis shrugged up a shoulder. “It's been a while.”

          “Hopefully, it'll come back to you.” The saddle belt was looped through and then tightened. Royale slid his fingers between Stella and the saddle to make sure that it wasn't incredibly tight. “She's good, but she's really fast.”

          Noctis looked up at the mare, a devious glint in his eye. “Fast is what we need right now.”

          “Hm? Why's that?”

Royale placed a hand on the mare's back and met Noctis' gaze. The prince rolled a shoulder back in a nonchalant way. He had a slight pout on his lips as he strode closer. Royale let the silence persist for a while but then turned his head away, moving to take one of the reins from where they hung on the wall near his chair. He examined them closely and returned with one he found satisfactory. When Stella was prepared, Royale extended out the reins for Noctis to take.

          “Just be careful, okay? She responds well to the reins, so you don't have to be too heavy handed.”

          “Duly noted,” Noctis replied in a singsong voice.

His heart thudded excitedly as he took the reins with his left hand. He slotted a foot into the foot hold of the saddle and, after a bounce, hoisted himself up onto the saddle. Prompto came up to his side, rubbing a hand over his thigh nervously. Noctis looked down to the blond. When their eyes met, Prompto's brows knit together.

          “Just be careful,” he said silently.

          “I got this,” Noctis replied with a little smirk.

Once he was settled, he gave Stella's reigns a little tug, and she trotted forward confidently. Noctis looked around from his new height, admiring the world around him. He looked to his right and saw Dethrel down below. He also saw Gladio and Ignis climbing up the hill. Gladio whistled as they came closer. For a moment, Noctis thought about coaxing the mare to charge forward, but he resisted and stayed in place.

          “Heading off?” Gladio asked, voice sounding a little pointed.

          Noctis narrowed his eyes for a second, but then he put on a smug smile. “Thought I'd just go out and feel the wind in my hair. You know how it is, doing whatever you want.”

          Ignis' brow cocked up. He took a step forward. “Be careful, Your Highness. We wouldn't want anything to happen to you while you're gone.”

          Noctis sighed through his nose to keep his nerves in check. “Don't worry, Ignis. I'll be fine.”

He gave Stella's flank a squeeze with the heels of his feet. She took a collective step backwards before running forward. She raced down the gently turning hill, and Noctis leaned towards her neck, his body flowing with the hard thuds of Stella's hooves against the floor. He squinted against the whipping wind, feeling free now that he was away from the others. His heart beat with Stella's trotting, and he trembled out a sigh, relishing the open expanse of land in front of him.

He could feel someone trying to call out to him. From the force of it, it was probably Prompto or Ignis, but he shut himself off. He wanted to enjoy this peacefulness and ignore whatever argument or apology or morbid reality awaited him. He just didn't care. Or rather, he didn't _want_ to care. Even though Vincent and Cor and everyone else explained to him what was happening, he didn't have it in him to stomach it all right now. He didn't want to think about the plan he came up with– a plan he knew would have been spiritual and mental suicide, but it was the _only option he had_. A part of him figured it would have been okay if Gladio was with him, but he knew that it wouldn't have been that easy. If Chaos already had him marked, then Noctis knew he would have just been inviting more trouble that he was worth.

The thought made him twitch his brows together.

 _This isn't_ just _about you,_ Gladio's voice echoed through his mind. A wave of anger flared up in him, and he shook his head, trying to pass the emotion out of his body, but it crept up. _Demanding_ to be felt.

He squinted forward, staring through his lashes as Stella took him down a beaten path. He could still see the three of him staring at him as if he lost his mind when he suggested the plan. It wasn't that serious. It wasn't that serious that they needed to discredit him in turn.

 _Your Highness_ , came Ignis' dry tone, and the sarcasm bit deep into Noctis' heart, viciously taking out a piece. He bled out the anger which filled him from the soul out. He saw Prompto staring at him, frowning deeply but not speaking his mind outright.

 _Coward_ , Noctis thought. _Have some courage._

The thought caught him off guard, and he gripped on Stella's reins. He sat up and tugged at the leather, coaxing the mare to slow down. After a couple of defiant seconds, she slowed down for him and took on a more leisurely trot, bouncing Noctis along his back as he stared down at her blankly. That thought didn't feel like his. It came from him. Maybe… Maybe? He wasn't entirely sure. He shook his head again, and another thought, attached to Ignis, crawled up vengefully.

_And who does he think he is? He spent his whole life to serve you? Perhaps he's bitter that he's not the one in control._

          “No…” Noctis mumbled.

 _And the other one?_ Gladiolus came to Noctis' mind as if he were right there. _All brawn but little brains if he doesn't understand how powerful you are_.

          “Stop.” The prince clenched his eyes closed.

 _You could_ crush _him._

          “Stop!”

Noctis felt something within him smile– and in turn, his own mouth stretched with the grin, his teeth flashing with the action. He brought a hand up to cover his mouth.

_Who would ever know? Just take them all out…_

“St–” Noctis brought his leg over the side of Stella and hopped down from the horse as she ran. She continued on without him for a little while, but Noctis landed to his feet, stumbling slightly as he came down to his knees. The plush green grass turned to sand under his hands. His breaths left him in shudders. He scraped at the sand, sitting up and watching as it filtered through his fingers. He could see the high rocks and stretch of grass in front of him, but he felt someone walk in front of him and place a hand over his eyes.

He was thrown into darkness for a moment, but when the hand pulled away, he was in a desolate world of sand and ruins. He swayed under the sudden heat, but he felt rooted to the spot. At least he was confident that he wouldn't fall over.

          “You're doing _so_ well,” said a voice. The tone was overly sugary and playful. Whoever it was walked behind him. Noctis couldn't turn his head to look. “You know where this is, right?”

          Noctis' throat felt dry, but he managed to respond, “N-no…”

          “A-ah. It's a big desert.” A soft laugh filled the brief silence. “I'm sure you'll figure it out. But it's not in _this_ realm, but it's pretty connected.”

Noctis glanced to the corner of his eye, trying to catch sight of the other person with him. He saw the edge of a coat but not much else.

          “Why are you telling me?”

          “Because you're a key to connecting all the pieces. Consider this a _personal_ visit.” A hand fell to Noctis' shoulder. “That hate you have in your heart is a great reason to get to know you.”

          “There is not hate.”

          The hand drew away. “Frustration then,” said the voice rather casually. “Either way, it's a great motivator.”

          “For what?” Noctis asked before he had a chance to stop himself.

          “You'll find out.”

Noctis could sense the presence walking around him, coming up on his left side. The desert world in front of him disappeared slowly, fading back into the rich green world from before. As the scion came up to his side, the body disappeared, leaving Noctis well and truly alone. He dropped forward, gasping for air desperately. He heard Stella's snort next to him, and soon he felt the mare nudge up against his arm. He reached up for her. She stepped forward and let him grasp onto the saddle. Noctis came up to his feet. He shook himself bodily.

He looked around him, examining the rocks the grass for any sign that something wasn't right. The bubbling frustration and anger was completely gone from him as if it never existed. Noctis blindly took up Stella's reins and then, rather hesitantly, climbed up onto her saddle. He tugged her over to the left and trotted with her down the new path. He and the mare wandered for a while. He examined the mountainous region that Dethrel resided in. From what he could tell, the small community was away from most of everything, though it looked down on a valley that had different cities and villages within.

Sometimes, he hopped down from the horse's back, climbing on top of the rocks. Sometimes, he lost his footing with his boots, but he climbed determinedly. Stella huffed behind him, but she stayed when he told her to. There was some strange peacefulness in crouching on top of a rock and peering out over the land beneath him. When it was time to go, Noctis climbed back onto Stella with a heavy heart. He let her set her own pace, but she only gave a steady jog back up the calm hillside. He reached a hand through her mane, giving a soft scratch in appreciation.

When he got back, Royale was the only one there. The stable hand sat up from his position, giving an almost sleepy smile up at Noctis, who hopped down from the horse's back.

          “And here I thought something had happened, like you fell in love with the horse and never wanted to bring her back.”

          “There was the temptation,” Noctis joked, mustering up a smile even though he didn't feel it.

He offered up the reigns, which Royale took gladly. Their eyes met, and Noctis looked away, perhaps too quickly. He felt a hand rest comfortingly against his shoulder.

          “Is everything okay?”

          “I guess I tired myself out,” Noctis said. It wasn't completely a lie. “I didn't eat anything before I left. Guess I didn't expect to get so caught up.”

Royale seemed to buy it. He gave a little smile and drew back.

          “You know, the others were looking for you for a while. They told me that much. Now that you're here, feel free to make yourself comfortable.” Royale reached up and smoothed back the hair on his head. “I don't know where you were or why you went missing. It's not my business, but know that Dethrel's a safe place. We take care of our own here.”

Noctis stared at him for a moment. Not sure what to say, and a part of him wanted to know why Royale was saying this. Instead, he just let out a little hum and gave a quick thumbs up.

          “Good to know.”

          “I'll let you go.” Royale laughed nervously. “You look tired, and I don't want to hold you up.”

Noctis nodded and turned away. Royale gasped beside him.

          “Wait–!” He reached forward and took something from Noctis' hair. Noctis looked over and saw a crystal shard between his hands. He tried not to look as surprised as he felt.

          “Oh, I thought this was a bug. Is it an ornament?”

          “Hm.” Noctis ran his fingers through his hair, subtly searching for more shards. He dropped his hand blindly. “Guess it's just from when I was climbing around. Who knows how it got there.” He stared at the small shard. It was about the size of his pinky and was a light blue. Royale didn't seem affected by it. Noctis waved a hand. “You can keep it.”

          Royale smiled and wrapped his fingers around the shard. “Thanks.”

Noctis gave a lingering look to the other's hand, but he ignored the nagging feeling in his head and turned away. He made his way down the hill towards Dethrel's side entrance. He felt as if Royale was still watching him as he walked away, but Noctis didn't want to turn around and check.

  

Noctis wandered back into his room, grabbing new clothes to change into, and decided he wanted to take a bath. If he was lucky, he'd drown and forget all of this was happening.

…… That was pretty dark.

He buried his face into his folded tunic. He heard a knock against his wall and looked back to see Gladio standing there.

          Noctis felt himself give a weak glare. _What do you want?_ he thought hastily.

Gladio must have felt the aggression because he stopped mid-advance, but then he came closer anyway. He let out a sigh.

          “Sorry about last night,” Gladio said. “Things just got… heated.”

          Noctis stared at Gladio for a moment before looking down to the clothes he held. “… Yeah.”

          “We're just… We're worried about you. You get that, right?”

          The prince frowned. “Yeah…”

          A beat of silence. “Noct. Please look at me.”

Noctis closed his eyes for a moment and tipped his head back to look at Gladio. They held each other's gaze for a long while, and Gladio came closer. When he felt the familiar presence so near, Noctis couldn't remember why he was angry. Gladio reached out a hand unsurely, but when Noctis didn't draw away, he placed his hand against the prince's shoulder before curling his arm and pulling the smaller body towards him.

          “You said what we were all thinking about. This is our only option, and it sucks when you have to hear it out loud. Maybe none of us were ready to face the reality of it all.” Gladio tipped his head down and pressed his lips to the crown of Noctis' head. “We talked about it. I had to tell Ig and Prom what went out with that ribbon Vincent gave me.”

          Noctis gave a weak smile. “And you just left me out?”

          A huff of laughter. “You know what happened. Well, you 'know' in the least cerebral sense.”

Gladio rubbed a hand over Noctis' back. He drew in a steady breath, and Noctis felt drawn into the lift and fall of Gladio's strong chest. He turned his mouth to the side, and when Gladio drew away, Noctis looked up at him.

Tall bastard.

          “I'm sorry too,” he said nonchalantly, almost sounding disingenuous, but Gladio knew his tone by now.

The bodyguard gave a smile and a hard pat to Noctis' shoulder. Noctis gave a painful wince. Gladio brought his attention down to the clothes Noctis held.

          “Where are the baths?” Noctis asked.

          “Through that door right there.” He pointed a thumb over his shoulder.

          “Ignis is in there right now. Go join 'im.”

          “Meh, fine,” Noctis said, sounding uninterested.

          “Towels and everything you need are already in there. Just get comfortable.” Gladio cracked his knuckles. “Prom and I will probably be in there later.”

          Noctis raised his brows. “What're you gonna do?”

          “Gotta train the little guy before we go out there. We're gonna head out for a little bit, so make up with Ignis too, alright?”

          Noctis rolled his eyes. “Sure.”

That hesitation came back to him as he followed Gladio out of his room. He turned immediately to his left and stared at the glass paned doors, the white curtains hiding what lay on the other side. He sighed through his nose, pulled down on the right silver handle, and let himself in. The room was not quite what he expected. The room was a light beige colour with small windows that let in just the right amount of light. Ahead of him was a risen wall with off-white pillars set just in front of it on either side. He moved around the left, though he realised it didn't matter which way he went.

On the other side of the wall was an inset bath that stretched from the privacy wall to the other side. It was narrow but was long enough to fit a number of people. The water rippled at certain places. Noctis dipped his head down and saw a vent on the other side. It must have been pushing water in. Sure enough, Ignis was set in the bath with his head leaning back against the privacy wall. His hair was wet and slicked back. His glasses were set on the thin piece of floor between the wall and the bath.

Noctis dropped down to one knee and set his clothes down on the floor. He stood up again and began pulling at his tunic to draw it over his head.

          “There's a hidden shelf on the right side of the room under the brightest window,” Ignis said with his eyes closed. “There's everything you need inside for your personal care.”

          Noctis stopped once his tunic was off. He looked over at his friend. “… Thanks.”

He wrapped the tunic around his arms and then dropped it down in a heap to the floor. He made his way around the bath, heading to the window as instructed. There was movement in the water, and Noctis looked over his shoulder, seeing Ignis bring his hands up again, sliding his them over his hair. He then laced his fingers together, set them behind his head, and stared up at the ceiling.

          “I've been thinking on this for what feels like a long time now.”

          “… Yeah?” Noctis looked back to the hidden drawer. He pulled them open one after another, grabbing the soft towels and cloths from within. The bottom most drawer had soaps and everything within it.

          “I've tried to approach this from every angle…. And I understand your urgency, please know that I do,” Ignis continued as Noctis closed the drawers and made his way back to his things. “We just need to be careful.”

          “Gladio said the same thing,” Noctis said softly. He put his things down and began undressing. “…Well something similar.”

          “My sentiment is the same. We can't do this rashly.”

          Noctis paused as he began pulling down his pants. “I know…”

They stared at each other for a while, but then Noctis continued the removal of his clothes. Ignis went back to speaking.

          “We agreed that riding would be the best, so if you or Gladio lose some control of your powers, you'll be able to get around. And having the horses there will be beneficial in case anything happens to any of us. They can get us somewhere safer. Though it depends on where we end up traveling…”

Noctis slid into the water, flinching from the heat at first. There was a stone outcropping for him to sit on. The water came up to Noctis' collar bone when he was sitting. It was a little daunting, but he'd get over it. He turned back and brought his towel and everything closer to him. He grabbed the soap and wash cloth. Ignis moved his hands and reached out for the items. Noctis stared at him for a moment but then handed the items over.

The prince turned his back to Ignis, crossing his arms over the smooth stone floor. He felt Ignis' wet nails against his back and the trickle of water go down his spine. Noctis drew in a sudden breath, but after a couple of passes of hot water to help Noctis adjust, Ignis pressed the cloth against the prince's skin. A pleasant aroma calmed Noctis' mind, and he nuzzled his cheek against his arms.

          “Allow me to speak candidly, but I refuse to let your emotions cloud your better senses.” Ignis worked the cloth in soothing circles. The suds left a pleasant tickle over Noctis' skin. “It may sound heartless, but if what Gladio told me is anything to judge, I wouldn't want to lose you to something like Chaos. I couldn't live with myself if I did.”

Noctis opened his eyes slightly, staring at the stones as a sense of guilt blossomed up inside of him. That made explaining what happened when he was out a little difficult…

          “I would jump into the Fire for you, Noctis. I would go to the Farplane and back to revive you if I were given that chance.” He coaxed Noctis to turn back and look at him. “And that's not to say what the others would do for you as well, but you understand what I mean, don't you?”

Noctis' face felt warm and nodded his head. They held each other's gaze for a while, but then Noctis was allowed to look away. The guilt felt heavier. His brows furrowed as Ignis resumed the single minded pampering.

          “After all, we've been through to find you, Noctis, there was a pain that went deeper than pride when you disregarded us. He is our King too. He's as much as a father figure to us as he is an actual father to you. We don't mean to be selfish…”

          “Ignis…”

          “But we _must_ be when it comes to your protection. We are here for you with our lives, Noctis. Consider that and consider that we will go with you anywhere, even if you should wish to go alone.”

          Noctis grabbed at the chance to make a joke. It would lift him from under the crushing weight he felt. “Well, that'll make bathroom trips pretty awkward.”

          “I'm sure we'll manage once we find a pattern.”

Ignis' lighthearted tone made Noctis laugh. The sound bounced off the walls, and Noctis hid his face in his arms at the sound of his own voice. But wow… It felt good to smile. When Ignis was finished cleaning Noctis' back, he dipped the wash cloth under the water. He wrang out the cloth, running the water over Noctis' back to clean off the suds. He handed the cloth over to the prince, and Noctis took it with a small sigh through his nose. He turned back around properly. Ignis handed him back the soap as well.

          “Gladio and Prom are training,” Noctis said in a singsong voice.

          Ignis sat down next to him and let out a devious little hum. “Are they now?”

          “'s what Gladio said.”

          “Perhaps we should do some training ourselves.”

          “Perhaps,” Noctis replied, mimicking Ignis' accent.

Ignis looked over towards his prince and then splashed water at him. Noctis jerked away from it but laughed all the same. He cleaned himself in silence, sighing in content as he worked the cloth over his neck. His eyes drifted closed as he savoured the warmth. It was enough to help him push aside the creeping stone of guilt he felt. Soon, he would tell them.

Not right now but soon.


	15. On the Path Where Darkness Leads

        Prompto hung upside down from Gladio's bed. “I feel like we should tell Royale what's going to happen just in case we don't come back with his horses.” He stretched his arms in front of himself. “Otherwise, he might flay us alive– or at least _try_.”

        “I don't think he'll be that extreme,” Ignis said distractedly. He flipped through a paper bound book Gladio had laying on his dresser. When the book reached the end, he carefully set it down and quickly added, “But yes, I agree we should give him some amount of caution.”

Noctis looked back and forth between the two as he sat perched on the edge of Gladio's desk. He turned his head and looked down. There weren't many things on it, just a couple of small books and one giant book, which was the history of… something. He couldn't be bothered enough to look. He then turned his attention to Prompto, looking at the small piece of stomach he could see because of the blond's disheveled shirt. Noctis felt the urge to poke into the other's belly button, but he refrained.

        “Where is Gladio anyway?” Noct asked, still keeping his eyes on the pale peek of stomach.

        “Doing his rounds,” Ignis said offhandedly.

        “Rounds doing what?”

        “We don't know.” Prompto crossed his arms. “Sometimes we see him talking to random people around Dethrel or patrolling on horseback, talking with a guard.”

        Noctis looked interested. “There are guards here?”

        “Just a few, but we never really see them.” Prompto grinned and uncurled his arms, waving his hands slowly in front of his face. “They're hiding out. They're like secret agents in charge of protecting his place.”

        “Or it's your active imagination,” Ignis teased right after.

        Prompto clicked his tongue. “Why you gotta be like that?” he asked quickly.

Finally, unable to resist the urge any longer, Noctis pushed away from the desk and moved over to Gladio's bed. He sat down on it and was _shocked_ by how firm the bed was. He gave a couple of test bounces, but there was hardly any give. He would have been distracted by it, but he was good at multitasking. He reached a hand over and dipped the tip of his indx finger into Prompto's finger. The blond gasped and tried to twist away, but Noctis followed.

        “Noct! Quit it!”

        “I- I can't! It's sucking me in!” Noctis lied, flopping his body of Prompto's.

He grinned when the blond reached up, palm set against his chin, and shoved his head back. Noctis fell back onto the bed and relaxed his hand, allowing Prompto to escape. Prompto rolled onto his stomach and tugged his tunic down. His face was flush from the interaction. He stared at Noctis in wide eyed betrayal, and the prince only smiled at him.

        “You're mean, man.”

        “Awww. Are you sensitive there?” Noctis laced his fingers together over his stomach.

        “No!” Prompto lied and gave a cautionary glance over towards Ignis.

Noctis laughed to himself, turning his head away. He closed his eyes and adjusted himself on the bed as he rested on his back. He tapped his feet against the ground for a few seconds before stopping even that.

        “So… we're all cool now, right?” Prompto asked slowly.

        “Yes. I believe we are,” Ignis said evenly.

        Prompto sighed. “Good. I didn't want to go on with… _this…_ hanging in the air.”

Noctis let out a hum of acknowledgement. He was just glad that this was all over too. He yawned slightly, feeling rather comfortable on Gladio's bed. Once the shock of the firmness passed, he realised that this was pretty enjoyable. Honestly, he preferred the type of softness he could just melt right into and fall asleep almost immediately in, but he would admit that this wasn't half bad.

        “Seriously, you're falling asleep already?” Prompto piped up.

        “Nn?” Noctis could barely open one eye, but he managed to get the left open open enough to stare at Prompto. His scrambled mind came together finally, and he rubbed his eyes, trying to coax the sleep away. “How long was I out for?”

        Prompto shrugged up a shoulder. “Mm-mn. We've been talking for like ten minutes, and I knew something was up when you didn't say anything.”

        “You did try to give a rallying response in your sleep though,” added Ignis.

        Noctis sighed in disbelief. “… Again?”

        “We should really find a way to keep a note of Noct's sleep talking,” Prompto said to Ignis.

        “I'm sure there's a way. We just need to keep a look out to find it.”

Noctis gave another groan of embarrassment, and it was enough for him to will himself into an upright position. He looked around the room and the heavy hitter of the group still wasn't here. He rubbed his face with both hands before giving a hard sigh. He held his head in his hands for a long while before dropping them down into his lap.

        “So we're really doing this, aren't we?” he asked, looking from Ignis to Prompto and back again.

        “With full vigor,” Ignis replied. “We've had a couple of restful nights here. It would be in our best interest to continue on with our mission.”

        “No time like the present,” Prompto said, thrusting his fists forward.

        Noctis stared at the blond silently for a few beats and then, “Why hasn't all the blood rushed to your head yet?”

        “Because I'm just good like that.” Prompto crossed his arms over his chest.

        “And he's already sat up once.”

        “Shh– Iggy, jeez!”

Noctis smirked and shook his head. On the inside, anxiousness filled him. They were actually going to leave today. He hoped that their dilly-dallying wouldn't come at a heavy cost. He rubbed his palms together, trying to look nonchalantly, even though the only thought on his mind was _Where the hell is Gladio?_

        Ignis turned his head, looking past Noctis towards the window. “Hm… Perhaps we should go to the stables. We still haven't picked out our horses yet.”

        “Sure thing!” Prompto arched back, setting his palms flat against the ground.

He flipped over onto his feet, and Noctis felt relief wash over him. He glanced over to Ignis, wondering if his advisor might have felt anything. But Ignis wasn't looking at him. Ignis gave no visible tale that he knew what Noctis was feeling or thinking. Maybe they were just on the same page by coincidence. Once Prompto bounced up to his feet, Ignis led the way out of Gladio's room. Noctis picked up the rear. He reached up and ran his fingers over the red curtain shielding Gladio's room.

Prompto hopped in the air, waving his left hand out. His feet were covered in a white light before light green slip on shoes appeared over them. Prompto did a small spin when he landed and swung his hands behind his back, walking with a little skip in his step. Noctis raised a brow but didn't say anything. When they stepped out into the sunlight again, Noctis took in the architecture of Dethrel with flocks of people wandering around freely. Their voices polluted the air with sound, and Noctis was almost thrown off guard by how alive the village was.

Ignis and Prompto greeted those who greeted them. When someone of particular importance showed up, Prompto threw both hands in the arm and waved emphatically, shouting the person's name to try and grab their attention. Noctis looked over to see a dark haired woman perk up suddenly. She raised a hand and grinned. She hurried down the stairs but only to catch up with her own group of people.

They headed up the hill to the stables and greeted Royale on much calmer terms. Noctis hung back, letting Ignis and Prompto wander in without him.

        “Oh.” Royale turned back to face him. “Thanks again for the crystal you gave me.”

Noctis gave a small nod but flicked his gaze over towards Ignis and Prompto, who both – unfortunately – looked at Royale, pausing in what they were doing. Ignis raised a brow. _Shit_.

        “Crystal?” he repeated.

        “Hm? Oh yeah.” Noctis sighed it off. He brought his hands behind his back and shrugged. “I found it while I was out yesterday.”

Royale laughed. “More like it found you. I plucked it out of your hair. I still have it hidden away though. It's _very_ pretty. I'm afraid the horses might be drawn to it if I brought it out.” He brought his hands together.

        “Yeah well… Just take care of it.”

Royale hummed pleasantly and turned to see if Ignis or Prompto needed anything. Noctis spun around his heel, avoiding the curious looks from his friend.

        « _Care to explain?_ » Ignis' voice whispered in his mind.

For a while there, Noctis was pretty sure he still had his mental wall up. He swayed to one side before sway to another.

        « _Nothing really to say. I probably came across it while I was out with my horse yesterday._ »

        « … »

        Noctis turned his head his slightest bit to the right, staring towards his right shoulder. « _Yeah?_ »

        « _Stray animals, I believe, but you're not exactly the type to bring stray crystals along with you._ »

        « _Yeah, well… Yesterday was a strange day._ »

And there was that oppressive silence again from Ignis, but eventually, the dismissive sigh came and Noctis relaxed bodily. At least that meant Ignis was going to drop it for now. He spun around once again, letting his arms turn limply with his body and fall against his sides. Prompto picked a chestnut brown horse with a sharp whinny. Royale held a set of reins in his hands, holding out his other one towards Prompto. He then motioned down to the item once again, even looking towards Ignis this time. He brought the reins towards the horse, and it gave a powerful screech, hoping backwards out of the way and lowering itself down as if it wanted to charge. Royale then hid the reins behind his back and called out to the steed, placating it with kind and calm words as he crept forward. He stroked over its snout. Ignis took the reins away quietly and held them away from the horse.

When Royale was able to get the creature standing up right again, he looked over to Prompto, and even Noctis knew that that look meant _Are you sure you still want this one_? Prompto looked thoughtful, and as he debated about it, Noctis looked away, feeling someone climb up the hill. Up came Gladio clad in all white, which was strange. Along the collar was a classy but simple silver design. Silver ran along the sides of his jacket and around the hem. He was bare chested under the open jacket. Silver earrings clamped along his right ear and a single white crystal hung down from his ear lobe. The golden plate necklace he wore around his neck was the only real colour that Gladio had on his person.

        “Well,” Noctis began, placing his hands on his sides. “You look different.”

Gladio glanced over to him with brows raised slightly but then grinned once he saw who was speaking. He didn't reply verbally and instead made his way towards the others in the stable house. Noctis rocked back on his heels before following after.

        “All done?” Prompto asked Gladio, who raised his hands up.

        “Just finished up. Everything should be set while we're away.”

        “What exactly _did_ you do?” Noctis asked curiously, giving Gladio a once over now that he was closer.

He reached up and ran his hand along Gladio's back, delighting in the silkiness of the cloth but also surprised by the heat Gladio was giving off as well. He curled his fingers, pulling his hand back towards himself with slightly narrowed eyes. Well, considering Gladio's true nature, he supposed that he shouldn't be that surprised.

        As Noctis came up to his companion's right side, Gladio stared down at him. “Just my civic duty.”

        Noctis stared blankly at the response. “Being?”

        “Don't be nosy,” Gladio said instead, wrapping an arm around Noctis' neck and drawing him closer. He crushed Noctis against his body, keeping his grip firm when the prince started to struggle. He spoke to the others. “Noct has a horse already, right?”

        “Ah, that's right.” Prompto stroked his hands over the chestnut horse which stood proudly (and indifferently) at his side. “Then we just need one for you.” He gave the horse a pat. “How about this one?”

        “He doesn't like reins,” Royale said. “You… might have heard the whinny.”

        “Yeah, I heard it.” Gladio chuckled. “Good ride though?”

        “His combative, but if you can handle him, he's yours to ride. I usually wouldn't advise anyone _to_ ride him, but I've seen you take on one of my worst mares.”

        “Yeah…” Gladio looked around. “Where is she?”

        “Down at the market. She's a working girl.” Royale looked proud as he said it. “Keeps her well-behaved for the most part. If you want, you can pop down and say hi to her. She's working with the armoury.”

        “We might have to pass through there before we leave, so I just might do that.” Gladio then looked down to meet Noctis' unamused gaze. He flexed his arm, bicep pushing against Noctis' cheek. “You ready to go, Noct?”

        “Yeah, just _get off me_.”

Noctis brought his hands up and pushed against Gladio. Of course, his bodyguard made it tough on him. When Noctis freed himself, his hair was disheveled over his face, tufts stuck up in front of his ears. He reached up to resort his hairstyle, keeping the ends from poking him in the eyes every time he blinked. He heard Gladio laugh and gave a hard sigh when he brought his hands back down.

        Ignis walked over to Stella's stable and opened it up for her. “We should do one final look around at the market before leaving.”

        “I hear ya.” Gladio went over to grab the saddles.

        “And find out if there's any information we can glean from those there about what might have happened in Bhujerba since we left.” Ignis closed the door when the mare exited.

        “Roger!”

Noctis stood off to the side as the others made preparations without him. He wondered if this was their routine when they were looking for him, or were they just calmer because they finally had the prize in their hands? The thought made him tick his head to one side. In the corner of his eye, he noticed Royale moving closer.

        “Where're you all headed off to?” Royale asked gently as the others ran through their list.

        “Off on another adventure,” Noctis replied, keeping it vague but trying not to sound completely dismissive.

        “Sounds like it. Before he left this morning, Gladio asked if I had any horses I wouldn't mind loaning on an indefinite basis.” He gave a little smile. Noctis looked at the scar again for a brief second in spite of himself. “I set out a few of my best. The others are in the back. Am I going to lose either of these horses?”

        Noctis sighed. “I hope not,” he said. “We're just going on a long travel, so… You know…” He shrugged up a shoulder. “They know you better; they'll know what to do if your horses are in danger.”

        Royale shook his head slightly. “I'm not too worried about that. I was just wondering if you could give me any… insight.”

        “Only if you tell me what Gladio's routine is.”

        “Sure.” Royale gave a little shrug of his shoulder.

Noctis locked gazes with him. He wasn't entirely sure what Royale knew or if he was just good at keeping his curiosity to himself. He did feel compelled to tell Royale if only because his curiosity was pinching at him more than usual. He felt a strange compulsion to _know_ what was being hidden from him, even if it was a minor thing such as Gladio's “civic duty”.

But once he recognised the familiarity in this near obsessive train of thought, he mentally shook himself. Noctis closed his eyes and took a step back away from Royale, ducking his head down.

        “Maybe next time.” He then covered it with, “We're in a rush.”

        “Already to go!” Prompto shouted as if on cue.

Noctis could kiss him; he was so relieved at that moment. He then waved a hand in their direction, lifting his eyebrows pointedly. Royale smiled and looked back to the other three.

        “Be careful, alright? I don't think I'll ever get a pair like these two.”

Noctis looked up to see Gladio sitting on top of the chestnut stallion; Ignis was settled atop Stella, looking as if it belonged up there. He held her reins with one hand as Royale gave them some final advice to consider.

        “We'll ship 'em home the first sign of trouble,” Gladio promised afterward. He gave a charming little smile and reached down his left hand for Prompto to take. Prompto hooked his foot in the foot hold and hopped up with Gladio's help. He placed his hands on Gladio's hips.

        “You better,” Royale joked, hugging himself loosely around the middle.

Noctis moved forward to Ignis' side. Ignis extended his hand as well and helped the prince onto the saddle behind him. Noctis scooted forward, making himself comfortable with their bodies pressed together and set his hands lazily on Ignis' person.

        “I don't know what you plan on getting yourselves into, but just be careful, alright? They'll get you out of trouble if you need it. Thoroughwind's a fighter, but if you want to get like a bat outta hell, he'll take you there.”

        Gladio gave the stallion, Thoroughwind, a pet along its neck. “I think if I'm gonna ride without any reins, he should be willing to meet me halfway on that at least.”

Royale smiled, and with nothing else to say, Gladio and Ignis gave their horses the cue to move. The small beast of scions trotted out of the stables. Noctis couldn't help but look back towards Royale who watched them go mournfully before turning his head another way.

 

Noctis wrapped his arms tight around Ignis' middle and hid his face from the wind as it pelted against him. His mind went back to the other day when he was transported to that strange desert other world. That's where they needed to be… He knew it, but he wasn't entirely sure where it was. If it wasn't in this realm, then it was unlikely anyone there would have known where to go. When the horse's hooves echoed in an enclosed space, Noctis lifted his head and saw that they were passing through a tunnel. He could feel the others talking to each other again. They were speaking through a thin wall– he wasn't in the mood to open himself up and listen to what they were saying. He had enough on his mind without their voices being there too.

When they cleared out of the tunnel, Noctis saw a a busy town just below. When he felt an insisting nudge at his mental wall, Noctis freed his head and Ignis told him that they were entering the city of Bafsk.

        « _This is where it all began!_ » Prompto said. « _Or– really– this is how we ended up finding you._ »

        « _Looks like quite a place,_ » Noctis replied, resting his cheek against Ignis' shoulder.

        Ignis added, « _It's busy all the time, so I doubt we'll find a free stable while we wander around._ »

Noctis gave a noncommittal grunt and watched as they descended upon the town. Before they were even really close, he noticed the thick population. There were consumers and merchants bustling about. Yeah, the chances of them being able to hold up their horses somewhere were slim to none. Prompto gasped when he saw a merchant leading a chocobo and a line of smaller ones.

        « _Do you think if we get those for Royale he'll be able to actually_ keep _and raise chocobos?_ »

        Gladio teased, « _Why don't you ask 'im?_ »

Prompto sat up immediately. He reached his hands back and shoved himself off Thoroughwind, sliding down the horse's rear and landing on his own two feet. Gladio turned back in shock as Noctis started laughing.

        “I was _joking— Prompto!”_

Gladio stopped, and after a moment of difficult, he was able to turn the horse around to go back after the blond.

        « _So, Royale used to have chocobos?_ »

        « _Every now and again, he gets them,_ » Ignis explained as Stella calmly led them through the crowd. « _I believe he watches after them for merchants here in the city. The arrangement works well. Dethrel is able to get supplies because of such a symbiotic exchange._ »

        « _Doesn't sound half bad…_ »

Noctis looked around at the booths they passed and listened to people shouting in various languages, trying to grab attention of merchants and customers alike. A fight was breaking out near a woven bask of green vegetables. Noctis scrunched up his nose and hoped that the vegetables got caught in the cross fire.

Noctis caught the whisper of Gladio's voice, which reached out primarily for Ignis. Ignis guided Stella off to the side, stepping out of the way of the crowd and waited for Prompto and Gladio to catch up. Prompto had his hand on Thoroughwind's neck, walking alongside the stallion.

        « _Noct, hop down. It's easier to ask around like this,_ » Prompto said, waving a hand for his friend to come join him.

Noctis nodded and climbed down from Stella, a move made easier since she wasn't moving. He walked up towards her neck and gave her a friendly pet. The group turned back and melded back in with the crowd. With Ignis, sometimes Noctis slowed his steps when he heard something interesting. When he could, he asked about Bhujerba, a place he didn't really know a whole lot about as it was. They told him in no mixed words that the city was doing fine. Some people told him about a sudden embargo that had taken place. Something had happened with a laboratory and the nethicite. It was all politics that, at this point, didn't involve him, but he listened anyway.

When he was able to, he asked, in the vaguest of terms, about the desert scene he witnessed. He also screened his thoughts when he asked, not wanting any of the others to come across these thoughts either. He would tell them; he absolutely would, but he just wanted to make sure that this place wasn't here like that scion had said.

Finally! After an untold amount of time spent asking about Bhujerba, someone _finally_ dropped a name: the Ogir-Yensa Sandsea. The name was _completely_ unknown to Noctis, and after tossing it to the others, it seemed they didn't know anything about that either. And so now they changed their query a bit, and as much as Noctis wanted the information, he quickly tired of talking to so many people and of repeating himself so much.

“What can you tell me about the Ogir-Yensa Sandsea?” he asked. Over and over, he asked this, but the people who knew about it were helpful. He was able to quickly piece together that this _wasn't_ the place he should have been looking for. The ruins seemed more sparse in his vision. The desert, from what he could see, had been barren. Noctis growled in frustration and was just _barely_ able to keep the emotion from building up into something more.

 _Dammit,_ he thought to himself, clenching his hand tight.

He, Ignis, and Stella followed after the other three, carefully stepping through the crowd and crossing over to stop in front of an armour shoppe. Gladio leaned forward, peeking towards the stable and when he saw a blonde horse, he sat up happily. Noctis watched as his friend moved off the saddle and moved closer towards the stable. The mare jerked her head towards the newly approaching figure but moved quickly when she noticed Gladio.

Noctis found the entire scene but strange and touching all at once.

        « _Well, we know who Gladio's best friend is, don't we?_ » he asked, leaning against Stella.

        « _Yeeeeap…_ »

        « _Agreed._ »

Prompto climbed up onto Thoroughwind while Gladio was away, settling himself over the stallion. He ran his fingers through the soft mane, and Noctis listened in on how Prompto marveled at how the stallion didn't need – or rather refused – reins. _It's amazing you even want a saddle,_ Prompto said, smiling to himself.

Noctis gave a little snort. Yeah, that's true.

Gladio came back, and Prompto patted the seat behind him. Gladio, after giving the blond a flat stare, smiled and nodded his head. “Alright,” he said and then hoisted himself up onto Thoroughwind's back. He wrapped his arms around Prompto, hugging his arms tight around the slighter frame. Prompto held onto Thoroughwind's mane and points to him for trying not to look as so obviously flustered as he felt. Noctis climbed back up onto Stella, liking the option of not having to walk anywhere for a little bit. The two horses were turned back around, and the group continued their way back through the marketplace all the way to the other end.

Noctis felt the atmosphere change before any of them said anything.

        “It's you again!” Prompto shouted.

Noctis saw a dark haired man with an intricate silver collar, a blue-black pinstripe shirt, khaki belted chaps, and white pants. From the way he was turned, Noctis could see the _massive_ gun holstered behind the man's left leg. When Prompto called out to him, the man flicked out his right hand, unfolding the legs of his shades. He slipped his shades onto his head and turned to face the group as they approached.

        “Aah, the Dthrelans!” He opened out his arms to them. Prompto and Ignis stopped the horses, and Noctis felt the sickened feeling come from them both. It wasn't disgust, just… _nausea_. Noctis looked between his friends, and then hopped down from Stella's back.

        “Noctis, this is Al-Cid.” And wordlessly, he added, « _He's the one who helped us find you._ »

Noctis looked up to Ignis and then to this 'Al-Cid' guy. He walked forward to meet the unmoving man, and when their gazes locked, Noctis froze in place. He curled his fingers at his sides, and Al-Cid's smile grew a little. He placed his hands on his waist. The two stared at each other, and Noctis felt that sick drop in his stomach. But as the sickness spread, he felt a tug at his core. Something deep with was rising to the surface as if it was being called. Noctis closed his eyes and took a step back.

        “What are you?” Noctis asked. He squinted, seeing this man reach up and pull his shades down over his eyes.

        Afterward, Al-Cid clapped his hands together, leaning forward and holding his weight on his left foot. “I'm the captain of an airship,” he said with a smirk. “I'm a tradesman– sometimes an informant.” He opened his hands, gesturing to Prompto, Gladio, and Ignis. “But mostly, I'm just a man.”

        “Liar.”

        Al-Cid tipped his head and leaned back onto his right foot. He touched the toes of his left foot against the ground, propping his leg up. “Now, now. There's no need for _names,_ Your Grace.”

Noctis turned back towards the others, who sent him similar messages — _I didn't tell him anything; he doesn't know who you are._ — and then looked back to Al-Cid.

        “One more time,” Noctis said, feeling bold. He moved closer to Al-Cid. “Who are you?”

        “I'm Al-Cid Margrace of Rozzaria, born in this realm, I'll have you know. I'm a Traveler and an Agent, though that last part doesn't concern _you_ as much as it does…” Al-Cid trailed off and moved his gaze over Noctis' shoulder.

        Noctis felt the displeasure come from behind him. In return, he reached a hand up to block Al-Cid's view. “How long've you been traveling?”

        “Since I was able to harness the power to.” Al-Cid refocused on Noctis. “Understanding the power was a different story, but thankfully, there's a place where we Travelers can go to understand our lots in life better.”

        “How come I've never heard of Travelers before?”

        “With all due respect, Your Highness, I don't expect every Job and Class to grace your knowledge. His–” Noctis turned and looked back to Ignis. “I would expect, but even thing, it's a minor thing, an underrated position if I were being absolutely honest.”

Al-Cid folded his arms in front of his stomach. Noctis looked down at the ground for a moment.

        “We need to travel somewhere.”

        “'Somewhere?'” Al-Cid repeated in an infuriating tone. Noctis frowned and looked up to the 'merchant', the Traveler, the _Agent_. “Well, we're all going 'somewhere', prince.”

        “What do you know about a desert? A desert with ruins scattered around, not too little, not too many.”

Al-Cid brought a hand up to his lips, touching against his mouth with an index finger.

        “Interesting…”

        « _Nocti—?_ » As Prompto called his name, Noctis shut himself off, visibly bringing up a hand to cut the blond off as well. They'd talk later.

        “ _If_ what I'm thinking is right, then you'll need to go to Bikanel Desert.”

        “What's there?” Noctis asked quickly.

        “Desert, an awful lot of it, and sandworms– _cactuars,_ the unfortunate blighters.” Al-Cid made a face and turned, looking over towards his companions who continued packing up everything. “If I remember correctly, it's a Landing Zone.” He waved a hand nonchalantly. “It's what we Travelers call a free traveling space. It's a location that connects several realms together. Unfortunately, really, for who would want to travel through one desert only to end up in another?”

Noctis winced, swaying slightly where he stood. That did sound awful. He turned around and looked to the others. If they wanted to say something, they were free to. They would have to voice their opinions out loud, as he was giving them no other choice, but with a prolonged silence, no complaints came. At least none that Al-Cid would need to hear anyway.

        “And what would we have to trade for your services?” asked Ignis.

Al-Cid seemed to think on it. He took in a dramatic little breath and tapped his finger against the side of his head.

        “I believe that your alliance will be more than enough. While I am not one for violence or politics, I find that having capable companions makes life much simpler.”

It seemed like… an innocuous request, but there was a great deal of mystery about it. There was so much that they didn't know about Al-Cid, but perhaps they could learn about him in return. Noctis placed a hand on his hip.

        “Done,” he said.

        “Excellent!” Al-Cid clapped his hands together. “Feel free to wait outside of the town. My airship will be landing shortly.”

        Noctis pointed over his shoulder with a thumb. “And our horses?”

        Al-Cid gave a careless wave of his hands. “That's fine; they can come with.” And then the strange man walked off.

He went back to overseeing the packing; Noctis climbed back up onto Stella. The two horses turned, and the beast of scions made their way back through the crowd. Noctis lowered down the protection of his mental walls, and the silence on the other side was _deafening_. Everyone was in a contemplative state, which he supposed worked out in his favour. He held Ignis loosely around the waist and kept from drumming his fingers listlessly.

It was only a matter of time before they asked him about the ruins. They didn't see those during their vision with Luna. He closed his eyes and pressed his face against Ignis' shoulder. He just wanted all of this over now. He was feeling drained, more so than usual. They had barely begun, but there was the argument, the 'visit', _this guy—_ Noctis was starting to feel like this was too fucking much.

The fatigue grabbed at him, coaxing him down like a lover to bed, and he fell right into it. It could have been a ploy by Chaos, and he wouldn't have cared. Not at this moment. He longed for the bodiless floating of sleep. He _needed_ it right now. He was only half aware of his body bobbing as they went through the market, and then there was quiet, and then there was a sudden loudness– probably from the airship– and then there was the echoing clack of horse hooves.

        He wasn't sure who carried him and wasn't particularly caught up on the details either. His back met something soft, and it was only then that Noctis felt himself completely give out. Sleep was both restful and alarming all at once. He couldn't remember his nightmares (again), but he remembered the feeling of them. That was a new and unnecessary circle of hell.

He woke up and rubbed his face. He looked around to see that he was inside of a small cabin. It was decorated with the basics– at least the bed was comfortable. He got up and slowly made his way out into the hall. The whir of the engines felt more evident here. He didn't ponder it for very long; he sought out the others, latching onto Ignis' curious energy signature and making his way towards it. They were in some kind of sitting room. While it lacked all the makeup of a conference room, the atmosphere had that sort of executive tension. He entered past the sliding doors and saw Ignis and Al-Cid sitting across from each other. They looked up towards him, and Al-Cid leaned his head back slightly. He wasn't wearing his shades.

        “And here we were just enjoying our time together,” he said.

        “How did you sleep?” Ignis asked, gesturing for Noctis to come sit with him.

        The prince sat down and leaned forward, arms on his thighs. “Alright,” he said with a shrug. “Coulda been better.”

        “I was describing to Al-Cid our current predicament. Unfortunately, he is unable to help with the exact specifics, but he assures as that solid ground that can crack isn't exactly common in Bikanel. Because of this, it will be easy for us to spot the King's tremor.”

As Ignis spoke, Noctis looked over towards Al-Cid, who only gave a steady nod on his behalf.

        “That does not make it easy, however,” Al-Cid added, “but Ignis told me that you have a way of sensing your King's presence. If this is true, then I believe you will be able to find him in spite of the added difficulty.”

        « _I did not say to what degree,_ » Ignis said to Noctis as he pushed his glasses up. « _Just that you could._ »

        « _'ppreciate it,_ » Noctis replied, scrunching up his face and wiggling his lips left and right. He sniffed quickly and looked to Al-Cid. “So, this is all just fun for you?”

        “It _is_.” Al-Cid grinned. Noctis noticed that it wasn't difficult to stare at him full on. “It's also information. Current events are as valuable as gossip amongst Travelers.” He turned his way, looking disinterested for a moment. “And if this journey is anything of what you claim it is, oh…” He chuckled. “Then I will have my metaphorical riches.

        “But this is not about _me_ , is it? This about some wandering beast of scions looking for their place. It's romantic, truly. Fairytales are written of such a thing every day.” He brought his arms to the back of his couch, setting his right leg perpendicular atop his left. “To find all of the pieces that you call home, ah. I cherish it.” He touched a hand to his chest with a slow gracefulness. And then he lifted up his index finger. “But I have… one question.”

        “…Yeah?”

        “Why have you not tried to go home? Surely, if something would have happened to your King, you would be able to return to your realm? You are mighty, yes? Such a task wouldn't be anything for you.”

        “We can't…” Ignis replied. “If there is one thing about forced summoning that is an absolute constant is that one cannot simply return of one's accord without the dismissal of the one who made the summon. Or a great sacrifice in equal measure.”

        “I see…” Al-Cid set his arm back against the couch. “It is a necessary thing then to find this King who summoned you.”

        “Absolutely.”

        Noctis' lips quirked to the left with some inexpressible emotion. “What do you know about the war going?”

        “War? Oh, war is everywhere, dear child.”

        Ignoring that, Noctis pointedly said, “A _specific_ war where there are realms collapsing because of it?”

        To this, Al-Cid frowned and shook his head regrettably. “This, I do not know about. I'm sorry.”

Seemed Cor would be their best line of info when it came to this. That was fine with Noctis. He made some dismissive gesture with his hand and leaned back, slumping on the couch more than he meant to. He underestimated the distance between him and the couch, but now that he was here, he was gonna stick with it. He crossed his arms over himself and stared at Al-Cid.

        “Why is looking at you weird?”

        The smile came back to Al-Cid's face. He laughed at the bluntness of the question. “A side effect, I'm afraid, of being one who has seen through many realms. Or that's what others say. To be honest, I'm not entirely sure myself, but I consider myself a small step above being a regular human as I am able to see you very well.”

        “Really?”

        “I do not know your name, if that's what you're asking. To me, you are 'Prince Noctis', but your scionic name is hidden from me. Well-protected as it should be.”

        Noctis nodded. He could live with that. He gave a sigh and tipped his head over towards Ignis. “Where's everyone else?”

        “Off investigating, I'm sure.” Ignis made a small gesture with his hand. “They're just looking around the airship, aimlessly as far as I'm aware.”

        “Not every search must be for a mission,” Al-Cid assured. He stood up on his feet. “And I do hate to leave you, but I must go check on my crew.”

        “Certainly. Thank you, Al-Cid.”

        “Later.”

        Al-Cid chuckled. “See you soon, my friends.”

He gave a little bow and exited through an arched door to his right in the center of the wall. It slid open quickly when he approached. They watched as he crossed through the corridor and past another doorway before the door closed again. Ignis placed a hand on the back of the couch and turned to face Noctis, who heard his friend reach out to the others.

        « _It's clear. You can come in now._ »

Dammit.

Noctis brought his hands up to his face and sighed against his palms. He knew this was going to happen, but he hated having these type of talks. He just hated it. For him, he knew the best route would be to just be apathetic about it. “Yeah, something weird happened, but nothing _happen_ e _d_ , see?” That's how he'd approach it. He brought his hands down to himself and sat up properly on the couch, legs spread and hands slack in his lap. Casual, just like always.

The door straight ahead and the one to the right hissed open as Gladio and Prompto made their way in respectively. Prompto slapped his hand against the doorframe, swinging in with his left foot as a pivot point. He looked over to Ignis and Noctis and then over to Gladio. With a nod, he hopped down the small set of stairs and took his place next to Gladio on the other couch.

Noctis watched the two without moving his head. They glanced at each other, talking briefly about something strange they passed on the way here. But know what was really strange? Ignis was _still_ looking at Noctis. Expectantly. The prince squinted his eyes, trying to will himself to be blind in his left peripheral, but it just was not working. He groaned and closed his eyes again. This was annoying. But instead of snapping at the other to stop staring at him, he just took a calm breath and let it out in a steady sigh.

        “How did you find out about the ruins?” Ignis asked calmly. His voice was friendly, curious, and lacked the interrogative tone Noctis had expected.

Good thing he had been patient.

        “I had a vision,” he said without opening his eyes. “When I went out with Stella the first time, I saw the desert, Bikanel, and there were some… distinct ruins there. I probably couldn't describe them now, but I know they were there.”

        “And what caused the vision?”

Noctis opened his eyes a squint. Now wasn't the time to lie. If they were already on their way there, then that meant they were almost at the end. Nothing was going to change that now.

        “It was like… a sudden burst of emotion. I can't really explain how it happened, but I just remember being so… _angry_ at all of you, and then next thing I knew, I had hopped off Stella and I was surrounded by sand.”

        Prompto spoke this time, his words careful and cautious. “Noct. Was anyone with you?”

        Noctis frowned, brows twitching slightly. He looked to meet Prompto's gaze. “I think Chaos was there…”

Silence came as if it just walked into the room. Its presence was overpowering almost, but the best part about it was no one had immediately freaked out. He felt the hesitation and shock from all of them in turn. Someone felt indignation, but that was about as it got, really.

        “Why didn't you say something?” Prompto opened out his hands.

        “I just… didn't.” Noctis shook his head and shrugged. “I didn't even think to say anything– not to you three.” And much quieter he added, “Not yet… Not until we found someone who might have known where to go.” There was a pause. He sat up completely straight, looking around to everyone. “Tell me I was wrong, but I didn't think I could _trust_ Him– if that was Him in the first place. All I could think was 'Why did he bring me here?'

        “And I mean, yeah, we're gonna find my dad, but don't you think there's something _suspicious_ about that?” He was speaking fast, faster than he meant to, but he needed the others to _get it_. The others just stared at him, but slowly they relaxed, looking away or making their noises and gestures of agreement. Noctis fell back. “ _Thank you_ ,” he heaved, bringing a hand to his face. After a while, he drew it away. “But it doesn't matter yet because we're headed to Bikanel. That doesn't mean that we'll find anything.”

        “But it's a lead,” Gladio said.

        Prompto smiled and waved a hand through the air. “And that's how we found _you_.”

        “Yeah… I just hope it's a good one.”

He was glad that that was that. The confrontation wasn't as bad as he had expected, and honestly, that felt like a miracle. The others were quiet for a while, but someone spurred up conversation, and that made things comfortable again. Noctis mostly listened, smirking and replying when he found it fit to. Prompto hopped up onto his feet and wandered around as he talked. He checked out the pictures hung along the wall, sometimes leaning up on his tip toes to see those higher than him.

Noctis swayed in place dramatically, saying that he wished he was on the bed again.

        “You were knocked out,” Gladio teased.

        Noctis smirked. “I was tired.”

        “We could all benefit from a little rest.” Ignis leaned back against the couch. “If only we had the time for it.”

        “Who knows? We might.” Gladio stared off towards Prompto, who spun around.

        “I call first dibs. Just point me at a bed, and I'm already there.”

        Gladio looked up and down the length of the couch before patting it. “This is good enough. Come lay down.”

Prompto sighed and moved over towards his friend. He dropped onto the couch and curled his legs up. His head went into Gladio's lap, and he closed his eyes. He was out almost instantly. Noctis felt Prompto's energy button up neatly and was honestly a bit impressed. It had sense though that he fell asleep so quickly. Ignis and Gladio carried on a conversation for a little longer before deciding that they should go to sleep as well. In a strange twist of fate, Noctis was the only one awake.

He kind of didn't like it.

To keep his mind occupied on something else, he stood up on his feet and followed in Prompto's footsteps. He examined the various pictures on the wall. Most of them were pictures of Al-Cid and his crew in various places. There were landscape photos and one of the airship. Noctis leaned in closer and realised that there were people standing around the aircraft. None of them looked like Al-Cid though. He followed along the curve of the wall, taking in the different stills of sights he had never seen before. No place looked similar to each other, and Noctis could only wonder how many of these pictures were taken in this realm. Another part wondered if there were more. Probably were, just scattered around the ship.

A door opened, and Al-Cid stepped through. He looked to the sleeping others and then to Noctis who was still strangely awake. The pictures kept his interest for long enough to suspend the tiredness without eliminating it.

        “My friends,” Al-Cid called out to the others, in a low voice to rouse them but not enough to force them awake. “We're passing over Home if you wish to see it before we go away.”

Him speaking was enough to stir the others. Sleepy noises and groans rose from the others, and Noctis walked over to the door closest to him, keeping just out of range so it didn't open yet.

        “Rise and shine, everybody,” Noctis said loudly, smiling to himself. Unlike Al-Cid, he didn't need to be delicate with his friends.

        Gladio and Prompto groaned in unison. “We heard 'em, Noct,” Prompto griped.

Noctis laughed to himself. He exited through his door first, and the others followed. Al-Cid stepped back the way he came and moved through the hallway to meet up with them. He then led the group outside to where they could stand and look out over the world. Noctis placed his hands on the golden railing.

        “I landed here!” Prompto shouted, leaning himself close to the edge. “Ah– feels like yesterday. I wonder if I can see anyone down there.”

        “Probably not,” Gladio said. He gestured out to the almost infinite expanse of desert. “Just look at this.”

        “Yeah.” Prompto sighed, but he didn't sound defeated. “It would be nice. Oh well. Not that they could see me up here anyway.”

        “Who knows– with your big mouth, they might know it's you anyway,” Noctis said with a shit-eating smirk.

        “Hey…”

He looked over to see Prompto glaring at him. Noctis rolled his eyes and made his way closer. He placed his hands on Prompto's shoulders, kneading him aggressively but fondly. He didn't mean it, really, really. Prompto twisted back slightly to chop Noctis on the head with the side of his hand. He then looked back over the sands with a sharp huff. There was a strange comfort in the infinite graininess of Home. No one as reaching out for them or trying to make them feel things or see visions. There weren't a bustle of people jam packed into a container area. There was none of that, just the strange peacefulness of the airship's engines and the vast desert beneath them.

Noctis felt the shift before the rift actually opened. There was a crackle of magic in the air, and then there was a meddling of worlds. There was a line in the desert sky that was darker than the rest. Clouds looked as if they overlapped with each other. The sands looked mirrored but not _quite_. They didn't exactly line up right. The world behind the dark blue line pulsed and became clearer. Another desert scene stretched out before them, but there were more buildings buried in the sands.

Noctis held his breath as they pierced the rift and went in.


	16. My Head Weighs Heavy with Your Love and Crown

There was no resistance as the airship pierced the veil between two worlds. The scions could feel the intersecting realities crawl over their skin. The shift felt different from the times they passed through the rifts that Cor, Vincent, and Luna had created for them previously. They could feel the realms both individually and collectively. It was unsettling, but as they passed through the rift, the grip of Eos Nigh loosened on them as the realm of Spira welcomed them into its embrace.

Prompto let out a noise of wonder, leaning forward against the railing as he stared down at the scattered ruins. A sandworm rose up from the desert in the horizon, roared, and then sank back down out of sight. Gladio muttered “Jeez” under his breath as he unfurled his arms and set his hand on the railing as well. Noctis set his hands on Prompto's shoulders, looking out into the distance of the new world they floated into. This had to be the place. He could feel it in his gut.

Ignis pushed up his glasses and took his place beside Gladio, arms crossing loosely over his stomach. He stared impassively at the desert world, middle finger tapping against the point of his elbow.

        « _Now that we're here, it doesn't seem we will be able to travel on horseback._ »

        « If _we take the ship,_ » Prompto replied, turning his head over towards Ignis. « _I like the ship, but Al-Cid doesn't have to tag along._ »

        « _Having him close by would be good if we need a quick getaway,_ » Gladio added, rocking back his right foot onto its heel.

        « _I say we just go for it._ » Noctis shrugged. « _No need to change the plan._ »

        Gladio gave a small nod of his head. « _Whenever you're ready then, we can take the powder and head out._ »

        Prompto brought a hand up to his shoulder, covering over one of Noctis'. « _Are you gonna be okay?_ »

        « _I'll be fine._ » Noctis squeezed Prompto's shoulder. « _Don't worry too much about it._ »

        Ignis pushed away from the railing and walked over to Al-Cid. “I was wondering if you could tell me something.”

        Al-Cid took a deep breath, lifting his head a bit as if he had been roused from his sleep. “Yes, my friend?”

        “About your Traveling abilities. I'm very curious as to how it all worked.”

        Noctis drew his hand away and stepped back, closer to Gladio, as Prompto popped up onto his free. “Ooh! I'm curious too.”

        Al-Cid chuckled, seemingly basking in the attention. “Well, well. Where do I begin?”

Gladio and Noctis looked to each other and then headed back into the sitting room. Gladio let them to the center and sat down on the floor. Noctis sat down across from him, and they crossed their legs. Noctis placed his hands on his knees, watching as Gladio removed his compact from his pocket. The silver metal had an almost blue sheen, which streaked across as Gladio opened the item. Gladio pinched the powder between his fingers and passed over the compact as he set the powder underneath his tongue. Noctis followed his lead and did the same with only a little trepidation. He clicked the compact closed and set it on the floor next to his left leg. Gladio reached forward for him; they grasped each other by their forearms and leaned forward to touch foreheads. They let out a synchronised breath and fell silent as the powder worked its magic.

It worked slowly since they didn't double up on the dosage, but the familiar numbness crawled up into their mind, reached up to the crown of their heads, and came back now as a chill that passed over their skin. Gladio tightened his fingers gently, humming softly as he felt his heart beat go down to a meditative slowness.

        « _I'm a little nervous,_ » Noctis admitted bashfully.

        « _Yeah? Well, I am too. A little._ »

        Noctis smirked. « _'A little.' You sound alright to me._ »

        « _I'm just good at hiding it sometimes. That's all it is._ »

A shared pulse went between them, painful and cold but temporary. Noctis shuddered, shaking his head gently against Gladio's.

        « _There it is…_ » he said. « _We're at least somewhere nearby. One of us'll have to tell Al-Cid._ »

        « _I'll do it. Keep the others near you– they'd be more prepared for it._ »

Another pulse, but it was more gripping that the last. Noctis felt a shadow hand coil around his neck, and Gladio felt one that trailed along his spine like a series of knives. The sensation lasted for a few seconds, but it was an uncomfortable experience for them both. Gladio leaned his head away. When the unpleasantness passed, he opened his eyes.

        “Time for the plan. If all goes well, we'll find him in no time.”

He came up to his feet and offered out his hand to help Noctis up as well. The prince was pulled up effortlessly. When he was standing tall, he peered up into Gladio's eyes and gave the larger hand a squeeze.

        “We got this.”

        Gladio grinned and nodded. “Damn right we do.”

Admittedly, they felt a little off being on phoenix powder in a new realm, but they would adjust— or ignore it. Either way, they wouldn't let the uneasiness stop them. They exited out of the room. Gladio walked over to grab Al-Cid's attention while Noctis headed off to the right. He wasn't so much interested in exploring the airship, at least not right now. Maybe after it was all said and done, he would look around and go searching for more pictures.

He listened to his stomach and the unnatural quiet that had taken up space inside of him. The quiet was its own presence. It was so separate from his familiar and natural senses; it was a noticeable weight– cold and heavy. Chaos was awake inside of him but was waiting to lash out now that he accepted it. He heard footsteps behind him and looked over his shoulder to see Ignis and Prompto walking behind him. Prompto walked up and threw an arm around Noctis' shoulders.

        “How ya feeling?”

        “Alright,” Noctis said. He looked out to the desert again.

In the distance, he thought he saw a pillar of shadows reaching out like a long arm and waving its thin hand at the ship. He blinked, but the image was still there. Prompto hooked his chin on Noctis' shoulder, staring out with him, but he didn't say anything about the thing that was so obviously there… The ship turned gracefully, making its way towards this shadow column. Noctis smiled to himself.

        “Something amusing?” Ignis asked, looking down to see the small smile on Noctis' face.

        “Gladio…” The prince pointed ahead of them. “What do you see out there?”

The two looked closely, feeling as if they were tested, wondering if they would pass. After a moment, they shook their heads.      

        “Nothing,” Ignis said honestly.

        “Same here.” Prompto lowered his head back down and drummed his fingers over Noctis' other shoulder.

        “There's something there– like a dark shadow. I guess Gladio could see it, so we're heading there.”

        “Spooky.” Prompto pulled back and gave a little shake. “I'm gonna sit with the horses.”

        Noctis gave a hum, watching as Prompto pulled away. “See ya in a bit.”

Ignis took slow steps closer to Noctis, nearly standing hip to hip as they both watched Prompto go. When the blond disappeared out of sight, Noctis drew in an inward breath, hissing slightly when he felt the coldness spread inside of him, burning as it went. Ignis reached out to keep Noctis on his feet when the prince doubled over. Noctis reached out to grip onto the railing. His arm shook as the coldness quickened. Suddenly, it went away. He opened his eyes and looked up to meet Ignis' gaze. Ignis conveyed his concern through look alone, not wanting to ask– knowing that it would be useless if this were to continue again.

        Noctis opened his mouth to speak, and the pain spiked up again. “Stand–” he panted, reaching up for Igni's forearm. “I need to stand…”

        “Easy, Noctis,” Ignis comforted as he helped Noctis up onto his feet.

Noctis turned around to face Bikanel. Thin wyverns spun out of the sand, screeching up into the air as the airship went pass. Noctis watched through his lashes as the wyverns dunked back under the sand, creating a spinning cloud of dust behind them. Ignis stood helplessly aside, his hands still set on Noctis' person to keep him balanced. Noctis was searching for something, desperately trying to keep himself upright. He reached an arm over the edge, outstretching a hand and splaying out his fingers. Ignis looked over the edge, unable to see what Noctis was seeing. “Noctis…” he said in a soft voice, looking over to his friend and charge, but it seemed Noctis was deaf to him. The ship coasted in the direction he was reaching, and he slowly lifted his hand up, extending his hand out to the distance.

        “There…” Noctis whispered softly, his voice wracked with pain.

Ignis felt regret stir inside of him, but Noctis' expression hardened. He looked more determined; he curled his fingers into a fist.

        “We need to land the ship!” he shouted to no one in particular.

Ignis turned his head away, looking back to the doors that led back into the ship. Noctis pulled himself away, marching in the direction Prompto had gone. Ignis didn't follow; he called out to Gladio instead.

        « _Gladio, we need to land the ship. Come to the cargo bay at once._ »

        « _G-got ya…_ »

The stress had touched Gladio's voice as well. Ignis knew that he would soon see to what extent the influence Chaos had over him. For now, he couldn't worry, at least not too much. He turned around and headed dutifully in a single direction.

The cargo bay.

There were windows inside with a number of boxes and crates stacked along the wall. Prompto sat between the two horses, staring up at the ceiling as his mind drifted elsewhere. This was happening… They were so close to the end of it. He concentrated on his powers, feeling the calming, torrential winds inside of him, but deeper than that was the blinding core of his abilities. Within that blinding core was the mirror of his true self. He couldn't remember the last time he had shed this human form. It was strange… He kind of missed being himself.

The door to the cargo opened, and Prompto leaned forward suddenly, seeing Noctis charge in. “Noctis!” Prompto willed himself upward, floating in the air with a spin. When he landed on his feet, he hurried forward just in time to catch Noctis before he fell.

        “Get me on the horse,” Noctis said, training his gaze on the horse.

Prompto saw the red glint of Noctis' eyes, and he was slightly entranced by the hue. But he didn't let himself get distracted! He moved forward, helping Noctis over to Stella. He gently coaxed the mare to keep still as he set Noctis' hands on the saddle. Prompto drew his hands back and turned them palm up. He drew his hands closer, curled his fingers to his palm, and channeled his power outward. As he uncurled his fingers, he moved his hands in a wave. Noctis was gently lifted into the air, and he kicked a leg over Stella's back. He leaned forward over her neck, burying his face into her mane.

        “Gonna be okay?” Prompto asked hesitantly.

        “I'll be fine,” Noctis groaned. “Just need to get down there.”

Prompto reached out to rub a hand over Noctis' thigh. Ignis made himself known with his presence before he crossed through the cargo bay door.

        “Gladio will be with us shortly,” he said to the two scions within.

Noctis brought his head up, looking over to Ignis, who could now see the fiery red tinge in his eyes. Noctis blinked, and the red hue flared brighter. The power wisped past his lashes and disappeared once he opened his eyes again.

        “Gladio, hurry…” Prompto said quietly to himself, chewing the inside of his cheek as he waited anxiously.

Ignis moved closer, reaching a hand to comfortingly squeeze Prompto's shoulder. Their eyes met. They were both worried; being the only ones who weren't affected left them feeling worried, unsure, but they just had to trust in each other. They had already committed at this rate. They could only keep going forward. Gladio staggered through the door. His hand set against the frame, and he shook his head viciously.

        “We should be landing soon. They're gonna open the door when we touch down.”

        “How are _you_ feeling?” Ignis asked as Gladio crossed over and climbed onto Thoroughwind.

        “Like shit,” Gladio said honestly. He looked over to Noctis and frowned. “But probably better than him…”

        “I'm feeling peachy,” Noctis groaned, not lifting up his head.

        Gladio chuckled. Thoroughwind shifted nervously under him, and Gladio stroked his hand through the horse's mane. “I bet you are.”

        “Iggy and I can run on the side. We'll take out anything that comes out for us.” Prompto spoke with a slow movement of his hands. The others could feel a wind blowing through the cargo bay. “And you guys can go ahead if we need to fall behind.”

        “We'll catch up easily should that happen,” Ignis said dutifully. “There are wyverns out there, so there's a chance they could come for the horses. I can create a protective field for us to travel in, but to do that, I must stay at your side.”

        “Just keep up,” Noctis groaned, pushing himself up in his seat. “It should be easy.”

Ignis chuckled as the main cargo door began to open. The soft whirring of machinery sounded so much more dramatic to each of them. They moved to the exit, standing in a line. Gladio kept Thoroughwind from pacing; next to them were Ignis and Prompto; and beside Prompto was the tired Noctis. Stella stood proudly underneath him, facing the desert world without flinching. She was probably braver than all of them. The ramp lowered down as the airship hovered a reasonable distance above the sands.

Noctis blinked again, and his power flared up the same time as the others. All of their eyes glowed with the spark of their aura. Noctis curled his fingers in Stella's reigns. He squeezed his heels against her flank.

        “ _Now!”_

The horses charged forward first. Prompto and Ignis stayed behind, letting their power charge slowly. They leaned forward in unison and left in a flash, feet kicking up the sand as they sped up to their companion's sides. Bikanel was beautiful and blistering hot, but the heat slowly stopped affecting all of them as they broke their attachment to their human selves.

Ignis pushed up his glasses with his middle finger and felt his energy pulse through the world. Each step kept him aware of any beasts around and underneath them. Prompto lifted up his feet, flying low to the ground, leaving a streaking path of cleared sand as he surged forward. A dome of magic formed around them, slightly opaque and crackling in view before it disappeared. Thoroughwind snorted at the Protection field but kept going forward. Gladio and Noctis stared hazily at the world, one seeing the sinister energy of Chaos better than the other.

The line of scions climbed over the hill, powerful steeds carrying two of them through the expanse of desert. There were more ruins here. It looked as if a city had fallen and only pieces were left behind. As far as they knew, that could have been true. Ignis felt the world pulse under his feet; a ripple of movement beneath them, cutting through the sand expertly. A cloud of sand erupted into the air, and there was a sharp screech in the air. A sand wyvern spun through the air, wings outstretched as it flew in the space next to them. With a flap of its wings, the wyvern picked up speed and circled around the group, crying out once again before it dove into the earth. Ignis could feel it speed away behind them.

Gladio grit his teeth, feeling the uncomfortable flame of Chaos spread inside of him. His stomach clenched like a phantom hand squeezed it. He tightened his legs against Thoroughwind's sides, and he swore he could feel the horse push harder, hooves cleaving through the sand. Gladio's heart began beating to the rhythm of his horse's hooves, and his mind slowly became one with the Chaos influence. Dark smoke billowed up in front of him, taking on the shape of a man. He ducked his head as Thoroughwind charged through the smoke fearlessly. Of course– he couldn't see it, but Gladio raised up his head, looking over his shoulder. There was nothing left of the smoky vision. He looked ahead as they passed between the ruins.

Sand wyverns jumped over their heads, arching over the Protection shield, diving and rising from the sands in a way that was beautiful. The creatures trailed behind the group, sinking down once again and vanishing. They could all feel the new power reveal to them. It was a calming Holy force that felt familiar to each of them. Gladio and Noctis stopped their horses; Ignis and Prompto stopped next to them. Prompto jogged forward slightly to slow himself down, kicking up sand as he went.

Noctis and Gladio collected themselves, allowing the peaceful nature of Holy overtake them. Chaos shrank away inside of them until there was nothing left. They hopped down from the horses, slowly walking forward to stand in front of their steeds. Ignis and Prompto came level with them. Just before them was the broken earth. Golden light shone from between the cracks. Everyone looked over to Noctis and stayed behind when he walked forward alone.

Noctis walked into the crater, weight shifting harshly from side to side on the uneven terrain. He could hear an almost spiritual sigh; memories crept up in his mind like small whispers of the past. His spiritual felt lighter, _whole,_ as if there was nothing wrong in the world. He could have sworn that the light became brighter as he drew closer to its source. He dropped down a level into the earth, landing next to the reclined body of King Regis. The King looked peaceful. His right hand was reaching up into the air, left hand touching on his chest in his partially dormant sleep. Regis laid on the floor with a smoke grey suit. There were white-grey accents along the outfit; layered silver necklaces rested against the front of his chest. Polished smoke grey shoes covered his feet.

Noctis moved closer. Each step felt heavy, and his heart beat with the cautious movements: oh- so- slowly… He reached a hand out and curled his fingers around his father's. He stepped forward, bringing the back of Regis' hand against his chest. And he felt the tone of his father's voice echoing around them, building steadily in volume before giving away to a sudden silence. Noctis felt a returning squeeze on his hand, and Regis sighed.

Regis turned his head and opened his eyes slowly.

        “My son,” he greeted in a soft voice.

Noctis dropped down to his knees, smiling slightly. His heart was beating erratically in his chest. He helped his father up onto his feet with soft words that felt so heavy on his tongue but felt so relieving when they were said. When Regis was on his feet, there was a soft flash of light, and a magical circle appeared underneath them. Orbs of light coiled around their bodies before touching down against Regis' shoulders; Regis tipped his head forward as a layered cape materialised out of the light. Noctis stared down into it and watched as a golden path was created for them. Regis wrapped an arm around Noctis' shoulders, leaning against his son with a small apology.

        “It's fine,” Noctis said quietly. “Just be careful…”

        Regis chuckled and tipped his head down. “Of course.”

They climbed up the ramp together; Noctis' arm tightened around his father's waist; his other hand gently held onto Regis' wrist. He glanced up, unable to believe the weight he felt around his shoulders was real. He stared– of _course_ he stared. Regis looked over to him and smiled. Noctis' brows tensed closer together. He was here.

They did it.

They came to the top, and the others stared in a state of surprise. It only took them a moment before they silently jogged forward. Ignis coming to Regis' left, and Gladio coming to take Noctis' place. Prompto stood in front of Regis, meeting his gaze and feeling moved by the sight of the King being okay. Regis smiled to him and soon stopped walking forward.

        “This is okay,” he said. “It's okay.”

Ignis and Gladio hesitated before taking a step back. Noctis looked to his father, watching as Regis slowly stood taller. It took a lot of effort; everyone could see it, but Regis stood dignified and tall.

        “I can go no further,” Regis said. His voice sounded weary, but he kept strong, even as he watched apprehension touch on Noctis' face. “But I will not leave you.”

Regis brought up his hands, carefully taking off his dark grey ring with a shining dark gem in the center. Noctis' lips parted. He felt he wanted to say something. He looked from Regis down to the hand being lifted up. Regis turned Noctis' hand left and right slightly, chuckling softly.

        “It can hardly fit, but you will grow into it with time,” Regis said fondly as he slipped the ring onto Noctis' middle finger.

        “Dad, please…”

        “It's okay.” Regis assured as he met Noctis' eyes. “I promise that it will be.”

Noctis curled his hand, staring down at the ring and feeling the pain build up inside of him. Prompto leaned forward, looking at the item as well. Gladio placed a hand on Noctis' shoulder, coming to stand to his left side, and Ignis stood mostly beside the King, lips tipped down ever so slightly when he saw the ring. They all knew the significance that it held.

Regis leaned his head back and let go of what remained of his power. He was cloaked in an ethereal light for a brief moment. A circlet crown donned his head, becoming a beautiful fixture amongst the grey hair. A high collar of spikes fanned behind his head, and a dark silver chain connected the end spikes together and curved down in front of his body. Spheres of light twisted around him, drifting up lazily into the sky.

Noctis shook his head; he heard himself whisper _“Please”,_ even though he knew it was pointless. He reached forward, taking his father by the arms. Regis laughed softly, fondly. He cupped Noctis' face with one hand.

        “I'm… _honoured_ to pass this onto you. Listen to me,” he said with a gentle command.

        Noctis blinked, feeling frustrated with the tears that stung his eyes. Regis' smile grew slightly. He nodded; he understood.

        “You must confront the traitor– an arbiter of Chaos, who wishes to reform.”

        “Who is it?” Ignis asked, looking to Regis now. “Do you know?”

        Regis nodded. “I will give all that I know to him.” He brushed his thumb over Noctis' cheek, smoothing away a tear that slipped down. “I've held on for as long as I could– I called out to you all, and you came.” Regis looked to everyone in turn, taking in their sad faces, but he was glad to see them. He pursed his lips together for a moment. “I'm so proud of _all_ of you.”

Regis pulled Noctis closer, and Noctis wrapped his arms tight around his father, wishing and hoping that maybe he wouldn't have to let go. The gem on his ring glowed with golden light. Regis tipped himself down to kiss the top of Noctis' head. The light consumed him again, and his form dissipated, turning into small snow like orbs of light.

Noctis looked at his arms, and then stared up at the sky as the light faded away from him. “Come back…” Noctis pleaded, not caring for how weak he sounded. The others stepped closer to comfort him; he clutched his wrist with his free hand. He choked out a sob and dropped down to his knees, falling forward. He kept clutching his arm, holding it above his head on the ground. He clutched his hand into a fist as a sharp cry left his body and echoed through the unfamiliar world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. We finally did it– we made it to the end of Part One. I can't thank you all enough. This has been a really great treat for me. I'm not done cleaning up the fic yet, so if you re-read it, you'll notice changes over time. 
> 
> And now for my announcement. As I mentioned in [Chapter Twelve](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8395099/chapters/20163565), I recently released a book. It's called Machinations. It's my first book in a long, long time, and I'm very happy with it. You can read more about it on [my tumblr](https://sayallfiend.tumblr.com/tagged/Machinations/chrono).
> 
> Anyway, I'm… amazed. You all have been incredibly supportive in the past couple of months, and I'm blown away. I don't know what else to say now. Let's change the future, haha! Thank you… for everything.
> 
> Get ready for the next part **Burden of the Crown.** See you then.


End file.
